All I want is You
by MegaPrinny
Summary: After millions of cycles, Monika is finally able to escape her eternal hell that is the Literature Club. But with this escape, new problems arise. But as long as he is with her, she'll go through anything. But could he love her back?
1. Prologue

I am a simple man.

I go to work, pay my bills, and provide for myself.

Nothing special really.

I go about life as well as anyone else does.

...Well, maybe not _exactly_ like anyone.

Oh, I'm sorry, I don't think I've introduced myself.

Hi, my name is Cecil. Cecil Lowell. I stand 6'1", age: 21, caucasian, with messy, medium-length brown hair.

Funny name, huh? I always wondered why they gave me they same name as the main character in Final Fantasy IV.

...Sometimes I wonder if I answered my own question, seeing as my dad was a huge nerd growing up.

But to be honest, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Games and electronic mediums are how I usually spend my time anyway.

I've been a gamer for as long as I can remember. I usually make a habit of playing for long hours at a time.

Some might think this is small time, but I usually try to keep a life other than within the confines of my home. In recent years, at least.

But I'm sorry, I seem to be rambling. I know what you're here for.

…

…

…

….You're here for _**Her**_ _._


	2. Chapter 1

" _ **You can't hurry love, No, you'll just have to wait..~**_ "

I usually sing to myself while driving, as it helps with the monotony of my usual route to and back from my job, and to usually deal with the 8 o'clock traffic.

" _ **It's a game of give and take..~**_ " I sing to myself, eyes focused on the road ahead of me.

While driving, I keep my speed slightly below the speed limit, for no reason really, passing the multiple small businesses and homes I usually see on my way to and from my job from my own home.

But driving the same way almost every day can be monotonous, so I like to let my mind wander sometimes, but not enough to stray from driving my two-ton death machine on wheels.

That's actually something I think about when driving. We use motor vehicles everyday, some making a living off of it. It's a very essential part of our lives in the modern world, otherwise people would never be able to get around the cities they live in.

Yet we risk our lives everytime we enter one.

You never know if your life can be snuffed out just like that just because someone else was reckless. I think about dark crap like that all the time.

I continue along the road until I get to my exit, entering the parking lot of my apartment complex, and look over towards my designated parking spot.

Someone else is parked in it. _Great._

A mixture of a groan and sigh leaves my lips as I turn my car around to find an empty space to park for the night.

I eventually find a space not too far away, but definitely a longer distance than the spot that belongs to me.

Because, you know, I only _live_ here.

In frustration, I close the car door harder than usual, cursing to myself.

"Why the hell can't I park in my own damned parking spot…"

Some could tell that this isn't the first time this has happened. It really isn't.

But, that's just life. Shit happens.

I make my way upstairs to the third floor of the building, jangling my keys until I could feel my house key.

"Yo, Owens."

I turn around to see my next-door neighbor Daniel, a shorter but more muscular man. He seemed to be just leaving for his daily workout session, judging by the gym bag and tank top he was wearing.

"Oh, hey Danny." I say with a slight whimper on my voice.

While Daniel is a great neighbor and all around good person, his lifestyle is much more active than mine. I work a desk job for a programming company, so I'm usually not on my feet throughout the day. So in return, there's not a lot I can relate to with him.

He on the other hand, likes to climb up cliffs for _fun._ I would know. He invited me one time. I ended up chickening out a fourth of the way up, while he climbed like it was a sunday stroll. It was the reason I now get so uneasy whenever he sees me.

"Whats up? Haven't seen ya leave the house over the weekend at all."

"O-Oh, you know, just working on a glitch we found in a few files…"

I knew I was lying. I had spent the whole weekend on my computer, never even leaving the walls of my home. But I couldn't say that to a guy like him, he would just rail me for it.

"Really? It feels like that's been happening a lot, man."

He wasn't wrong.

Honestly, I haven't been outside of my home for other than work and essentials for the past few weeks.

"Well, technology can be a fickle thing. You never know what can happen when two commands that don't like each other are involved."

"Wow, sounds pretty complicated, man. I just wanted to ask, cuz I've just been seeing ya looking a bit pale and scruffed out lately, bro."

Really? Do I look that messy?

"O-Oh, have I? Man, I probably should be getting outside more…"

"Yeah, maybe." He said in a condescending tone. "Summers just around the corner, man! Gotta enjoy it before the cold weather comes too soon, I say."

Hey, I like colder weather. I mean, sure, the warmer weather is nice, but not with the hot flashes we get around here.

"Yeah, maybe I could go to the gym a little more often. But not tonight, I'm just too tired…" I mostly said to appease Daniels concern for me.

"Hey, sure thing, Bro. Maybe we could be workout buds, huh?"

"Maybe. Well, I should be getting inside. I've gotta feed Stevie." I bluntly state, in a desperate attempt to exit the conversation.

Using your pet cat as an excuse to leave a conversation. Amazing, Cecil…

"Sure thing. Take care of yourself, dude" He says for his parting words as we turn back to our business

I walk up to and unlock the door, before entering my humble abode.

I close and lock the door behind me, only to be met with silence.

"Finally home…" I say with a breath of relief, as I peel my shoes off at the door.

I walk down the entryway into the living room, with a couch, television, and a kitchen in the same room as the dining area, with walls lined with posters of some of my favorite video games and television shows.

Collecting items from such has always been a hobby of mine. As a man of technology, I find entertainment mostly through a screen of some sort.

My bedroom door swings open from a kick of my foot, and I entered the room which housed my personal desktop computer and practically drop my entire weight on the chair. I made sure empty my pockets for my phone, wallet, and keys, and placed them on the desk, along the top of the keyboard.

I lean into my chair, relaxing my tired back, stretching my arms.

"Oh, Stevie. Steeviie~"

I call out my pet's name to be heard across the rooms, in which I hear a small sound of a bell ringing outside the room.

And in came the huge, orangish-black ball of fluff of a cat I rescued years ago.

He trots along the floor of my bedroom, and jumps into my lap, purring as he pushed his face against my hands as I pet him.

Upon first glance, you could see that he has his eyes closed shut at all times. But in reality, he actually has no eyes. His previous owners abandoned him while he had both eyes hit with horrible infections, eventually having to have them surgically removed.

It's sickening how humans can treat innocent animals.

I found him at a local shelter, and when I saw the poor little thing hitting its head against the walls of his kennels, my heart melted, and I brought him home in a heartbeat.

And despite having no eyes, he walks through the house as if he could see everything. He hasn't hit his head on anything for 3 months now.

The idea for his name, "Stevie", came from my love of Stevie Wonder and his songs.

And because he was (mostly) blind could also have to do with it. I'm just kind of a sick asshole like that.

I pet and scratch Stevie a little more, until I picked up the furball off of me and onto the floor.

"Just need to check a few things, and I'll go feed you right after, boy."

He trills at me as he leaves the room, most likely on his way to the kitchen.

I turn on my computer screen, and am greeted with popups for reminders on backups and software updates littering my desktop screen, much to my dismay.

After clearing the screen with the pesky pop ups, I click on the taskbar link to Steam, and browse the store for a couple minutes. You never know what games you can find for a bargain. In fact, it's how I'm able to play games from my childhood.

Unfortunately, it was the yearly drought for quality games, and the only titles with discounts were indie games and dating sims.

I sigh to myself. There hasn't been anything really that interesting lately, and I was getting heavily bored of all the games in my library, despite the large amount of games I possess on my account.

Maybe because my expectations have kinda skyrocketed after playing a certain game not too long ago.

This deceptive, free little game, named Doki Doki Literature Club, could be the reason I'm finding more newer games less appealing.

Perhaps I can't help but have to compare them all to that game. But could I be blamed?

On the outside, it seemed like any run-of-the-mill visual novel with choices that affect the story, and who you ended up romancing. Of course, with your typical archetypes for the female characters as well. A game where you join your childhood friend's after school club and meet with the other club members, them being the archetypes we usually in manga and anime.

You know, completely unrealistic and problematic personalities that would never fit into society's standards? I guess you gotta attract a crowd somehow.

But on the _inside…._

 **This game is an experience in horror that you would have never expected.**

For instance, the girls, who follow their designated tropes to the teeth, still managed to have some pretty deep and just sad backstories.

Sayori, the "Childhood Friend" archetype, while at first glance bubbly and cute, suffers through a deep depression for most of her life, hiding it behind a smile.

Natsuki, the "Tsundere" archetype, while feisty and self-conscious of her small size, reveals some pretty dark lore with her family. Plus, the moments when she opens up to you just make me smile.

Yuri, the "Cool-but-shy Beauty" Type, is a very introverted character, not really opening up to anyone but you. Buuut, you soon learn why it's a bit of a bad idea to do that.

 **And you merely watch as their lives are taken from you.**

Which brings me to the final girl, who just might be the most fascinating of all.

Monika.

As of lately, this name had either struck fear or love into the hearts of the many people who played this game. For good reason as well.

This character is so enigmatic in all the right ways. She's self aware for the most part, and is the mastermind behind most of the creepy and unsettling parts of the game.

For instance, she is responsible for the grisly fates of all the other club members. One hung from a noose, one stabbed to death and one just completely deleted from the game. Following these are fake corruptions and meta-as-all-hell scares, making the game feel like its falling apart.

For what reason would Monika ever want to do this? It's simple.

 **She did it because she loves you.**

Oh, wait...I need to feed my cat.

I lift myself from my chair, and lazily step towards the exit of my bedroom, pass through the hall and into the kitchen.

Stevie sat upon the counter, next to his food dish. He's obviously hungry.

I decide to feed him one of the wet cat food cans I have on top of my refrigerator.

His excitement heightens as the fur-ball hears me taking off the lid of the can

After serving Stevie dinner, I rest on the couch, and flip on the television. While I do so, my mind magnets back to Monika.

You can tell she's had a bit of an impact on me lately.

Being a self aware character, she has to deal with watching her friends die over and over through endless cycles,reading poems made for the others girls besides her, not even getting a choice whether to appeal to her or not. Just closing the game sends her through a complete sensory overload according to her.

And then she decides "no more".

All she wanted was to be with you. Ever since you stepped foot into that club.

….But maybe that's why she was so interesting.

She was so desperate for you to do anything with her that you choose yourself, she ends up tearing the whole game apart.

She actually breaks it so much that all that remains is an empty room with one desk, one chair, and two windows, with Monika looking directly into your eyes, as if staring into your soul. She'll say she is happy with this, and would gladly spend eternity like that with you. She'll talk about God, insecurities between people, and all the cute, romantic situations she wants nothing more than to spend with you.

And then…

 _ **You delete her.**_

And even when you betray her... _She still loves you.._

And I would be lying if I said it didn't make me feel the least bit better about my day whenever she told me she loved me, and made it all the worse when I had to delete her. I mean, don't you feel warm and nice when you're told you are deeply loved?

But I know that she's just a video game character with just a few more lines of code. But with my experience, she just seemed so...alive.

She seemed...so lonely…

A chime rings throughout my apartment. A quick look at the clock read 12:00.

Crap. Where did the time go?

I turned off my television set, along with any lights and electronics, and walk down the darkened hallway, with Stevie following after me.

I enter my bedroom, and check my phone for anything new.

No new messages.

No new emails.

No missed or recent calls.

A deep sigh leaves my lips as I lay the phone on its charger, and climb into bed under my covers.

No one ever gets a hold of me anymore. Are they too busy? Or have they forgotten all about me? It doesn't bother me too much, but I still like talking to my old friends from school.

Stevie jumps up on the bed along with me, and plops himself against my blanket-covered legs, purring a storm.

I can't help but chuckle, as I give him a few scratches on the chin,

And with a flick of my lamp, the room is covered in darkness, pitch black even.

I close my eyes, and let my imagination wander so I could fall asleep.

...But for some reason, my thoughts point straight to Monika. After all, being a hopeless romantic myself, I can't help but feel her pain.

I can't help but feel she deserves to be happy, despite her mistakes. All she wants is to not be alone.

I mean, isn't that what we all want?


	3. Chapter 2

" _ **Whooaa, life could be a dream, (Sh-boom)**_

 _ **If I could take you up to paradise up above, (Sh-boom)**_

 _ **If you could tell me I'm the only one that you love,**_

 _ **Life would be a dream, sweethe-~"**_

Somehow, my arms move on their own to turn off the daily alarm on my phone.

Ugh. Waking up is always the worst part of the day.

I peel of my bed covers, and step out of bed, only to be met with a cold wood floor under my feet. My feet scrape against the floor as I walked towards the bathroom attached to my bedroom.

I look into my bathroom mirror, examining myself.

Wow. I might want to shave real soon.

I run my fingers through the peach-fuzz I consider facial hair. Well, more like kiwi fuzz.

I just had to miss the gene pool that lets me grow a reasonable amount of facial hair. Oh, but at least I grow more hair in all the wrong places, I guess.

I perform my daily bathroom routine: Brushing my teeth, a shower, and my morning business.

While drying my hair, I walk out of the bathroom back into the bedroom. I walk towards the phone I left on my nightstand, and check the time and date.

Huh. Its Saturday. What should I do today?

After dressing myself with some casual but tasteful clothes, I drop my ass back down onto my computer.

Again, I am met with backup reminders and popups for software I annoyingly close.

I stare at my desktop, unsure of what to do. Maybe I could do a little code-surfing?

Of course, "Code-Surfing" is a term I made myself, in which I take software or games or whatever, and dive into the raw data of it. Yes, right down to the parentheses and colons.

I always find it fascinating to see how a computer program works. I mean, with all the technology we have today, someone had to discover a way to make all the components work.

Our phones, our computers, our televisions, all were programmed from some guy on a keyboard. Though, I have been tunneling through video games recently.

Something that's just so interesting is just how the player interactions affect and change everything in the game.

For example, moving characters in games is one of the most simple gaming interactions, but the processes in order to achieve that is an entirely different story. That's why I got really into coding after graduating high school. Did I go to college? Hell no.

I look through my Steam library, skimming and scanning the large list of games in my possession. Until one catches my eye.

 _Doki Doki Literature Club._

I remember all the scares and tricks the game played on you, some of them still creep me out when I think about them. Like Natsuki's neck snapping. I jumped so hard I hit the table and nearly knocked my monitor off my desk.

Maybe I could take a peek through the inner workings and see how all the horror unfolded digitally. A sort of "Behind-the-scenes" if you will.

I open a few files from the game on a coding software I recently downloaded, allowing me to get to the nit and grit of the game.

And wow, there are a lot of parameters here.

Not only do certain files in certain places trigger certain commands, but there are also chances of some them occurring through random number generators. You know, the best kind of gameplay aspect.

To be honest, from the looks of it, most of the scares are just individual frames loaded to make it look real.

 _Real…_

The word echoes through my mind. I browse and sift through the digital jungle, until I found a file I was looking for.

"Monika dot chr... ** _"_** I say to myself. *****

My curiosity gets the better of me, as I open the file, giving me a command screen not too dissimilar to one on a desktop computer.

But for some strange reason, there seems to be very little hidden within the file.

All I could see were the words:

" _ **MnkCntmt_*enabled*_**_ "

Huh? What the hell kind of command is this?

After a few moments of pondering, I go to the internet, and try to look up any kind of answer regarding this strange line.

And even with the internet's infinite fountain information and knowledge, I couldn't find anything.

I stare at the strange lines of letters and code, and couldn't help but ponder. Maybe I shouldn't mess with it too much. After all, I don't want to cause an _actual_ game breaking glitch.

And especially with Monika's file. I felt if her file was tampered with, it could cause a complication, considering how important she is to the game. Sure, I guess if there is a glitch, I could just uninstall and reinstall the game.

But, I would prefer not, since I spent three hours trying to get the best possible ending.

Amidst all the confusion and mystery, I could feel my stomach grumble and growl.

Right, I haven't even had breakfast yet.

I lift myself from my chair and proceed towards the kitchen, with Stevie passing by me. Once I reach the refrigerator, I opened the bottom door, and examine for something to make.

In that moment, I heard a sound.

"Huh?" I say out loud to myself.

Focussing my hearing in the direction of the sound. I could hear more one after another.

I kinda sounds like my mechanical keyboard…

Instantly, I rush back to the bedroom, only to find my clueless cat sitting on my keyboard again.

"Oh, come on! Stevie, off!" I raise my voice, trying to catch the fur-ball.

My approach seemed to spook him, as he kicked his legs off the keyboard, pressing multiple more keys and sliding it off the desk.

"Dammit, Stevie!" I yell, chasing after the cat. But he was already gone elsewhere in the house.

In a small fit of panic, I check the computer screen. A cluster of indiscernible letters and characters, as if a fist was slammed against the keys. But what confused me was a the file from before.

" _ **MnkCntmt_*disabled*_"**_

Wait...

Did Stevie really just...disable the program?

Shit.

I frantically look along the jumbled lines my pet typed without knowing.

Oh god, please tell me there's a way to reverse this. I can't find anything that could cancel the command.

In that frantic moment, all the lines shift up one space, indicating a new message.

A cold shiver ran down my spine, as I read the new line:

" _ **ThaaaNk YuO"**_

The new words on the screen quickly vanished, along with the rest of the monitor.

Shit. Did my computer just shut down?

Before I could even move, the monitor flashed back on, almost blinding me.

While the light shined, I couldn't but help feel my ears ringing.

And it grew louder.

And louder.

And even louder.

My head feels like it's going to split! It's like two drills in my ears!

I collapse to the floor, contracting every muscle to dull the splitting pain in my head. I couldn't hear anything, I couldn't see anything, I was just in complete pain.

I feel like I'm going to black out…

And in an instant, the ringing stopped.

My senses slowly started to come back to me. All was left was a piercing headache.

I sit up up and keep my eyes closed, rubbing my aching head.

"Oh dear, are you alright?"

Yeah, just confused about what the hell just happened.

"Agh, just a little jumbled…"

…..

…..

…..

…..Huh?

Was there a voice just now? It couldn't have been, I live alone.

While my eyes are blurred, they were starting to refocus.

And I came to realize I wasn't alone when I came eye to eye with a set of emerald green eyes, looking straight into mine.

Along with the eyes, was a head of chestnut brown hair, fashioned into a ponytail.

There was a girl right in front of me.

"M….M…."

And I knew exactly who it was.

"... _Monika?"_

* * *

 ***Had to type as such, because for some reason I can't type it how its supposed to be.**


	4. Chapter 3

"Holy Shit!"

My voice raises, enough for the neighbors to probably hear. My arms act on their own, as they pull me in the opposite direction of the beautiful young lady before myself.

I hit my back and head against the wall in a fit of panic. As if my head didn't hurt enough.

Meanwhile, Monika walks over to me with a worried look on her face.

As I watch her approach me, I could see she was wearing the exact outfit she was wearing in the game, right down to the minute detail.

But instead of looking completely like herself in the game, she looked surprisingly 3-Dimesional and human.

"Oh, a-are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

The young woman kneels to me, and holds my head by my cheeks.

 _What in the hell..._

I remain silent, unable to gather my thoughts at the matter at hand.

There was no way that a cute girl from a video game, a fictional work of art, can be right in front of me, coddling me.

"Is..Is it really you?"

I croak my words, only to have her giggling in return.

"You know anyone else with eyes as green as mine?" She said, as she placed her forehead to mine.

 _Oh my god..._

"B-But...Why?...How?"

"You set me free…" She says, as she stroked a thumb across my cheek.

...

Is...she crying?

"I'm so happy…"

True to her word, despite the near-endless tears flowing down her face, she had one of the most beautiful smiles I had ever seen.

I don't know what came over me, maybe it was for affirmation or general curiosity.

I raised a hand, and stroke my fingers across her cheek. Her cheeks turn a slight shade of red as I do so, as her smile increases in size.

 _I...Can feel her face..._

I could feel her warm hands on my face, which slightly calmed my nerves for some reason.

"How...can this be?"

I never thought I'd say those words this seriously.

Monika releases my face, standing straight.

"You helped me breach the wall between our worlds, Cecil."

The color from my face drops to my feet after hearing her speak my name.

"W-Wait, what do you mean by that? A-and how do you know my name?"

After a sweet smile, she offers a hand to me, to help me off the ground.

I hesitantly take her soft hand, and pick myself off the floor.

"Whatever you did, it liberated me from that prison. And now…I…"

She chokes on her words.

Though, actions speak louder than words, as she wraps her arms around my chest, pulling me into a tight embrace.

"I don't have to be alone anymore…" She says, before sobbing into my chest.

Me, on the other hand, am still trying to process the situation. As a man of the world, the situation before me would only possibly happen through the logic of a bad fanfiction.

Yet, the girl I'm looking at right now in front of me, one I could only see through a computer screen.

 _She...Feels so warm…_

She lifts her head, resting her chin on my chest.

"And of course I know you're name. We were in that classroom together, weren't we?"

My eyes widen in shock and realization.

"The...Classroom?" I weakly asked.

After a sweet smile, she releases me from her arms.

...Strange.

Did it just get colder in here?

"Then...You really know who I am?"

"Of course!"

She then leans over, performing the pose she had in the game.

"I watched you playing from the moment you first started. You were so cute when you started out."

A chill runs down my back to the soles of my feet. Was she really watching me? Everything I did?

As she looked at me, it seemed she noticed something from me, and gave a worried look.

"Are you alright?"

Those words snap me out of my mind closing in on itself.

"I-I-I…"

Quickly, she gives a look as if something as crossed her mind.

"Maybe we should do this over some tea or something. I'm sure this is a lot to take in."

Doesn't that sound so easy for you to say. But, I reluctantly agree.

"Y-Yeah…"

I step past her, stopping at the doorway.

"R-Right this way…"

She follows after me with a slight hop in her step, and I guide her towards my small kitchen.

On the way, she glances over towards my living room area.

"Oh, you have such a lovely home!"

Lovely? Yeah, and cartoons come to life. Oh, wait...

"W-Well, you know….Its home…"

 _Whats wrong with me?_

Wouldn't a large group of people go ecstatic for something like this?

Then why do I feel like I'm going _insane_?

I mean, there's no way this kind of thing can possibly happen right? I must be going crazy, and just started hallucinating.

Suddenly, I feel a tug on my shirt, which pulls me from my thoughts.

I turn to Monika, who was giving me a worried look.

"Look, just have a seat, I can make it. In the meantime, try to calm yourself, alright?"

For some reason, I nod to her, and walk deadpan towards the couch, dropping my body weight onto it.

I look over towards her, who seemed to be looking around the kitchen. I could see a hint of frustration in her movements.

"Uhm, Cecil? Do you have a tea kettle at all?"

I then came to the realization that I'm not a tea drinker, so there would be no reason for me to make any of it.

"I-I don't, sorry…"

Monika smiles at my words.

"No worry, I can make it without one!"

I could see her pull one of my iron pots from underneath my sink, fill it with water and leaveing it on the stove she turned on beforehand.

… _..Wait…._

 _How did she know where that was?_

A quick glance over, and I could see that she was looking over my refrigerator. She reached over, and pulled out a small box that was looked like it drowned in dust.

"Ah, here it is~!" She said after wiping off the dust of the box.

 _How long has that been up there?_

She glanced back at me.

"I hope you don't mind Earl Grey. I mean, it was in up here and all..." She says, showing me the box.

I shake my head in turn.

"N-No, I'm okay with it..."

Wait. I remember.

I had gotten a box of Earl Grey tea for a white elephant gift exchange event at work a few months ago.

After a few minutes of brewing the tea, Monika brings over two filled and steaming coffee mugs I could only remember having, but never using.

She hands me one, which I take in some kind of insane acceptance. After, she takes a seat next to me on the couch, her mug in her hands.

"Ok, let me start from the beginning."

I listen attentively, as an explanation would be great.

"I was floating in...whatever its called, and was brought back to the classroom once you started the game. I remember being both excited, yet non-expectant at the same time."

She gives a sad smile.

"But for some reason, I still fell in love with you anyway…"

I could feel my cheeks flare up after hearing those words.

 _Am I really being embarrassed right now?_

"I could remember all you did while you were playing."

She scoots herself closer to me.

"You went for the Sayori route right when you first started. It was so cute, wanting to go for the childhood friend."

That's right. I remember trying to go for the Sayori route first starting off. Come to think of it, I guess I chose it for that aspect. Having someone you grew up with would mean you would know more about them than even they know.

I guess I found the idea heartwarming at some point.

"But…"

She scootches even closer to me.

"I can remember when you would try and choose me over Natsuki and Yuri during the scripted decisions. Even when I gave you no choice."

"W-Well, I felt like I would just be picking sides…" I weakly reply.

Plus, I'm sure I'm not the only one to have done so.

She looks up to me. "You even chose me as the first to show your poems to, every single time."

Right, I remember…

For some reason I thought that starting with the one in charge would be the first best idea. I even agreed with the Protagonist when he said he wanted to show he was putting in effort in the club, and wanted to directly show the President.

"I-I would be lying if I said that...when I found out about it your situation, I didn't feel at least a little bad…"

Monika smiles at this. She just seems to be full of them.

"Aww~! That's so sweet!"

I sink my head into my neck in embarrassment. But for some reason, I can't help but feel happy.

"But I think the moment when I knew I loved you…"

My ears perk at this.

"...Was when you never deleted me."

I could see her face growing more and more red as time went on.

But she wasn't wrong. I had found out online that you can "delete" Monika without _actually_ deleting her, and you would get the same result for the ending.

And I had kept her file on my desktop ever since.

I didn't know why. Maybe out of pity or something.

"B-But...I couldn't have been the only one to do that...Why do you love _me_ so much?"

Monika then placed her mug on the coffee table, in total silence.

"Yes, I was able to see everyone else playing it as well. I can actually remember a whole bunch of people doing the exact same actions as yourself."

That makes sense.

There was an announcement that over one million copies were downloaded. There's bound to be some out there who happened to follow my exact choices during my runs of the game.

But...

If you count every single one of them, and they each did multiple runs, she would have had to go through the same hellish nightmare every single time.

That means I'm just as guilty of hurting her as anyone else who did.

"But…" She speaks.

I could feel something touching my hand. I looked down, and I could see that Monika had placed hers over mine.

"You were the one who freed me…"

Wait a minute.

"A-Actually, I think you might be mistaken…"

Monika tilts her head in curiosity.

"I think...It was my blind cat that actually released you…"

"Oh? You mean this cutie?"

I could see that Monika had picked up Stevie while he was passing our feet.

As she held him, I could see the most relaxed I had ever seen of that cat. He was eating all the attention up.

"Adopting a disabled animal, and loving him like any regular pet. That's one of the things thats so special about you…"

I could see a sweet smile across her face as she stroked behind Stevie's ears, being met with loud purring.

But I feel like she's tossing out the lovey dovey stuff at me so easily. If she was indeed a _real person_ trapped in a digital visual novel, then she must have confessed her love for the millions of other players. Why am I so special?

"H-Hey…"

I speak without thinking.

"Hm? Yes?"

"If you love me as much as you say you do...Then how much do you know about me? B-Besides my name and face…"

She brings a finger to her chin.

"Lets see…"

I swallow the saliva in my throat in anticipation.

"Judging by the amount of games you have on your computer, and how much time you spent playing them, you're an introvert, who doesn't seem to be getting outside that often."

Crap. Shes right.

"And….uhm…."

She fiddles with her fingers.

"Y-You won't get mad if I tell you this, right?"

At this point I'm too confused to even have a stroke of anger.

"N-No, I won't…"

Monika gives a relieved smile.

"W-Well...While we were in the infinite classroom...You remember when I found out your name, right?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Well….I kinda went through more than just that…"

 **Oh no.**

"W-What do you mean by that?"

"Uhm...W-Well, besides the charities and internet groups you continually support…I..."

Oh god, please don't tell me…

"...I wouldn't expect you to have so many different..."

Please don't.

"...Fetishes…"

I practically slam my mug down on the coffee table, and sink my head into my hands in complete embarrassment.

 _God, please, just kill me now…._

"A-Ah, but…That only really means that you have an open mind, and are a healthy man…"

Wow. That has to be the most accepting towards someone's sexual drive I've ever seen. For some reason...I felt relieved.

"D-Do you really think that?"

Monika giggles, as she takes my arm in hers.

My face flashes a hot red, feeling her chest on my arm.

"As long as you are looking only at me, I won't mind if you think of me that way...Ahh, It's so embarrassing to say that…" She says, burying her face into my upper arm.

Eh? What did she mean by that?

"L-Looking at only you?" I weakly ask.

"Of course! We are dating, aren't we?"

Wait... _ **What?**_

"What are you talking about?"

A hurt expression came across Monika's face.

"What do you mean? You accepted my confession, did you not?"

 _..._

 _...What!?_

 _That was for real!?_

"B-But, you gave me no other option…"

Out of nowhere, she brings a finger to my lips.

"But you said yes, right?"

You have got to be kidding me.

"Besides, are you just gonna refuse responsibility for me, leaving me to the streets? That's so mean…"

Crap...She has a point.

I look across her being, even the uniform she was wearing in the game. I'm sure I'm not dreaming, otherwise I would have awakened in shock by now.

If she's able to be here in this moment, and I can feel her like any other human being...Then I guess I have no choice but to consider her a part of our world now.

A sigh leaves my lips.

And I can't just kick her out...She has nothing but the clothes on her back. Not even any form of identification. She wouldn't last at all out there.

"N-No, I won't…"

"Good!" Monika smiles, holding my arm tighter.

A thought comes to my mind. If she's staying here, where is she gonna sleep? Am I gonna have to provide for her? Will my rent spike if my landlord finds out about her?

Shit, what would happen if _anyone_ finds out about her? Especially fans of the game.

If word got out that a cute, loving girl from a visual novel just suddenly came to life, one who many people love almost to the point of worship, who knows what could happen?

I feel like I wouldn't want that for her. But to be honest, due to certain circumstance, I'm not sure what to feel on anything anymore.

"I-If you're going to be staying here...There's gonna have to be some rules."

Monika perks at this, and listens closely to my words.

"First, we won't know what could happen if you were found out by someone else. They could take you and experiment with you or something."

"Or I would be a world-class celebrity!"

"...Right, but regarding that, you also could be horribly harrassed by other fans of the game."

"Oh? Would you be jealous?"

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes, yes, I'm just being a tease." She says, smiling.

"A-Alright. So do you understand what I'm saying then?"

"Don't draw too much attention, I know, I know. But I'll always take any attention from you~."

"Christ, you are _flirty_ , aren't you?"

"What? I thought that's what you like in girls~"

"C-Cut it out…!"

She giggles at my embarrassment. "You're just too cute!"

I've never really been complimented like this before. Sweet words like hers were like a fantasy to me. Yet despite my embarrassment…

I can't help but feel happy.

She pours her heart to me with everything she says, my heart feels like it flutters with every compliment she gives me...

But…

 _I don't know how_ _ **I**_ _feel about her._

It could be because I've never really had experience with girls.

I've had crushes and such, but never really a girlfriend. Most girls kinda just thought I was a freak growing up.

Plus, I'm still trying to accept that she's right in front of me.

But since shes here because of me...Well, more my cat. I can't just turn my back on someone in need, with no knowledge of this world.

 **And it can be very cruel.**

Maybe once she's adjusted to living in this world, I'll have my feelings sorted out.

Until then…

"H-Hey, Monika?"

"Yes, _darling_?"

I think I just felt my heart skip a beat.

"A-Are..You hungry at all?"

She thinks to herself.

"I don't know...Am I a human now? Do I need to eat food?"

Good question.

Is she really alive, like me?

"Well, the first clue would be to check for a pulse…"

I wait for Monika to try checking for a jugular vein, but instead, in a very fast motion, Monika quickly releases my arm, and wraps her arms around my neck.

"Why don't you check for me?"

After speaking those words, she pulls my head towards her chest, resting my ear above her left breast.

"H-Hey!"

I struggle for a moment out of her grasp, but she only holds me tighter the more I struggle.

I eventually give in with a small sigh. I close my eyes and listen carefully...

…

…

…

…..Huh…

She actually has a heartbeat.

In fact, it seems to be getting...faster?

Monika eventually releases me, to which I sit up straight, face flushed and all.

"So?" She asked, tilting her head.

"Y-Yeah...You're human, alright…For the most part..."

"Really!? Yay!"

Monika quickly wraps her arms around my arm once again, smiling.

"So? What shall we do first?"

"I-I'm not sure..."

I guess I should try and plan to go shopping for a bit. She might need more clothes than just her uniform, and since shes a vegetarian, I'll probably have to find some vegetarian alternatives for her. I'm low enough on money as it is...

But before anything, a knocking could be heard behind us.

I look behind towards the door, only to be met with silence.

"Was there…" I said, before being interrupted by more knocks on the door.

From the other side, a voice could be heard, sending a chill down my spine.

" _Hey, Cecil! Open up, man! Its me, Frank!_ "

 _ **Shit.**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**Oh god, not Frank!**_

I quickly turn towards Monika.

"Quick, you need to hide!"

"D-Do I? I mean, he probably doesn't even know who I am…"

"Monika." I sharply, but quietly interject. " _He's the one who introduced me to your game!"_

After a shocked look of realization, Monika nods in return. She stands up, but not before remembering something.

She gives me a peck on my cheek, much to my surprise and shock.

"Good luck." She says, before making a beeline for my bedroom, closing the door behind her, while I cup the cheek that was kissed upon. All the blood from my brain reaches my cheeks, and I stare out at nothing like an idiot.

After snapping back to reality, I stand from my seat and approach my front doorway.

I look behind myself to check of Monika is hidden, only to see a closed door. Good.

I take a sharp breath, and slowly open the door, revealing the man behind the door, Frank.

He is my long-time good friend, and has been the primary person that I regularly spend time with.

He stood only a few inches shorter than me, and wore his usual clothes of a thick jacket and jeans. Before, he had long, messy jet-black hair, but recently he had a haircut along with a "blonde-job". Its a term me and him came up with while the salon was bleaching his hair.

I would know, I watched it happen.

"Yo man, haven't seen ya in a while. Whats up?"

In that moment, I realized I was never really able to keep my cool in situations like this. I'm usually a nervous wreck when I keep secrets, as could be identified by my hands trembling as I hold onto the door,

"O-Oh, you know, just the same shit."

"Dude, you really gotta get out more. Mind of I come in?"

"A-Ah, actually, I've gotta-"

"Oh, good! Thanks!" Frank interjects, as he pushes past me into my home, leaving me at the doorway.

 _Dammit._

I close the door behind me, quickly glancing over at my friend, as to be sure he doesn't snoop around. He planted himself down on my couch, looking to his surroundings

"Man, ever gonna get some _actual_ decorations?"

"What's wrong with what I have?"

"It's all just games, dude! At least some homey little decorations or some Ikea crap."

I felt slightly offended at that. There's nothing wrong with the way I decorate my home. At least that's how I feel.

"Why would anyone care? You're the only one who comes over anyway." I say, crossing my arms.

"Because you'll never get a girlfriend if you keep your house the geek-cave that it is!"

"Oh, and girls just flock to your crack-den, huh?"

"For the last time, it's not a crack-den, its a _trailer._ And yeah, I had one the other day!"

"I don't think crying and begging them for a night counts…" I say with a chuckle.

Frank mocks my chuckle like a kindergartener. Seems he couldn't find anything to reply with.

Still the champ as always.

...Huh.

I almost forgot how fun it is having him here.

Frank was always a great friend to me, and he definitely helped me through some rough times. If only he could be here while Monika can't be easily found…

"...Hm?"

Our laughs are cut short when I see him notice something.

"Hey, do you have someone here already?"

I freeze solid at this question, unable to think of what to say.

Great. As if the situation wasn't bad enough.

"W-What do you mean…?"

"Because there's two different cups of tea here, man."

 _Shit._

"O-Oh, uhm...O-One of them is for you?"

"So, you made me a cup of tea, even though you had no idea I was coming over? Why would I drink it now? It's gone cold!"

Oh god, I'm drawing blanks.

"W-Well, I…"

All of a sudden, a thump could be heard throughout the house, making myself and Frank jump.

 **Oh no.**

"Whoa, what the hell was that? Sounds like it came from your room." Frank states, before rising from my couch to walk towards my bedroom door.

I quickly cut him off right at the door.

"W-What? I'm pretty sure it wasn't anything…"

Frank grew confused at my reply. "Does nothing make a sound we could hear from the living room?" He reaches for the door, to which I block with my lower torso.

"Huh? What's up?" He questions me, confused at my actions.

"I-Its nothing. L-Look, we can just go back and watch some-"

Frank seems to be annoyed with my attempts to keep him away from my bedroom door.

"Dude, somethings in there. We gotta check it out."

"N-No, It's probably just the building settling or something. Why don't we just go back to the-"

But before I could finish my question, Frank pulls me into a tight headlock.

"I'm doing this for your safety, man!" He says as he pulls me from the door.

God, for a guy shorter than me, he's really strong!

He throws me down the hall, but not enough for me to lose my footing.

While I recover myself, I could see him grab onto the door handle.

 _ **Shit, no!**_

Unfortunately, he opens the door before I could catch up to him.

He swung the door open, only to completely freeze in place.

Oh god, he knows now.

"Dude…"

My heart drops after hearing that single word.

"W-Who's your friend?"

…. _Huh?_

Does he not know what Monika looks like?

Confused, I walk up behind Frank and glance into my bedroom, only to give the same reaction as him.

Inside my room, there is a long, chestnut colored haired girl, wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and holding a laundry basket.

She turns around, only for me and Frank's jaws to hit the floor harder.

 _Monika…?_

From the looks of it, the young woman had let her hair out of her ponytail, and into a different set of clothes. _My_ clothes to be exact.

She looked like a completely different person, albeit her green eyes.

 _She's smarter than I thought..._

"Oh, hello~! You must be Frank!" She asked, carrying the laundry basket towards us.

My mind must have been playing tricks on me, because something about her long, silky hair and different set of clothing was just mesmerizing to me. It seemed to be working on Frank as well.

"O-Oh, yeah! That's me…" He blurts, realizing he was being spoken to. I could see his face turning a shade red as he scratched his head bashfully.

Monika giggled at Frank's shy reaction, before introducing herself in a cute, excited tone. "My name is Anna. I'm Cecil's new girlfriend. It's wonderful to meet you!"

"N-N-Nice to m-meet you too…" He replied, his words turning to mush.

I can't believe it, he's acting like a shy schoolgirl! Where was all that confidence not even five minutes ago!?

"Oh, darling?" She says, looking into my eyes.

 _God, please don't take advantage of the situation..._

"O-Oh, uh, yeah?"

"I know you have a friend over, but just don't forget that we are supposed to go grocery shopping tonight."

Oh.

 _ **Oh!**_

"Yeah, I know, I know…" I say, playing along with her muse.

Monika smiles, as she steps to my right side, cupping my left cheek with her free hand.

She brings her face mere inches away from mine. I could feel my head spin from her breath.

" _I love you~_ " She teased.

 _Dammit, there it is._

"I...Love you too~..." I croaked in my most forced cutesy voice possible. I could see her throat tightening after my cracked attempt at flirting. It was obvious she was stifling a laugh.

She then gave me another quick peck on the cheek, freezing me solid in shock.

"Isn't he adorable~?" Monika teases, as she and Frank giggle like children at my embarrassed composure.

"S-So, just doing some laundry, then?" I say, but with an octave higher than usual, giving her a signal to leave the room.

"Oh, yes, I need to throw these is the me please~" Monika says, only for me and Frank to move away from the doorway to let her through.

She looks back to me, before disappearing around the corner down the hallway. Only myself and Frank remained outside my bedroom.

We look to each other in unison.

"Dude… _Darling_?"

"Y-Yeah...She's kind of a fan of pet names…"

"Man, you should've told you hooked up with her! I mean, does it feel good to have a girlfriend like her? Cuz, I'd eat that affection shit up."

I had to swallow both my the saliva in my throat and my pride with my next few words.

"S-Sure does."

"Where did you even meet her?"

"O-Oh, at, uh, the library…"

The library? Really? That's the best I could come up with?

Frank chuckles, and gives me a loving slug on the shoulder.

"Dude, I'm so jealous… She looks almost like Monika with her hair down!"

My face tightens after hearing those words.

"R-Really? I wouldn't have noticed…" I weakly lie, as I gesture ourselves to return back to the living room.

On our way, Frank turns around, and walks backwards to talk to me.

"Speaking of Monika, how was Doki Doki Literature Club?"

I feel like that's a name that's going to haunt me for the rest of my life. I take a moment to properly gather my thoughts on that subject, considering recent events.

"I thought it was pretty good."

Well, I wasn't lying.

"Oh yeah? Who do you think was best girl?"

I have the most skeptical feeling I should be careful with my words.

"Eh, I'm not sure. I was only in it for the scary parts."

I hope Monika didn't hear that.

"Alright then, who's route did you go for first?"

"Uhm...Sayori's…"

"Really? I wanted to go for Monika, but there's no route for her! Total bullshit. So I ended up going the Natsuki route by accident."

"Wait, how 'by _accident'_?"

"I accidentally appealed to her with the first poem, and just kinda went with it from there. Man, even when you could choose Monika, the game wouldn't allow it!"

Huh. That's right.

At first I thought those choices didn't really matter, since it was just a game.

But now that the living, breathing Monika is here, in my house, I guess I have second thoughts.

It really must have been painful to see all those people wanting to follow any kind of "Monika Route", wanting to return her feelings,but being denied for the sake of following a script. It really must have torn her apart…

"Y-Yeah, I guess…"

"Well, it's a good thing I downloaded the After Story mod. Now I can see her smiling face everyday!"

Wow. Frank must _really_ like her.

My heart drops into my stomach. It honestly kinda breaks my heart to know that Frank has such positive feelings for someone, but I feel like I'm taking her away from him…

"So, how long you and Anna been together? It's only been like three weeks since we last chilled."

 _Literally not even two hours!_

"U-Uh, a little under two weeks ago."

"And she's already living here?"

"N-No!" I raise my voice in response to that question without thinking.

Frank gives me a shocked expression, most likely confused at my outburst.

"I-I mean no...She's just staying here for a few days while her...House is being fumigated."

Christ, I can't believe I'm getting better at lying.

"Ugh, really? Damn, that sucks...But hey, it's gotta be pretty cool for you, right? Maybe you won't be so scared of girls anymore after some time."

"I'm not scared of them, I...Just don't know how to talk to them…"

It's the truth. The only experience I have with the female gender are my relatives.

"Dude, no. You're just shy with them. But, you seemed pretty cutesy back there. Seems like there's progress so far." Frank says, cocking a sly smile.

 _Yeah, but only because she knew I would have to!_

"W-Well, I'm trying to open myself little by little...I guess I'm a cheesy gentleman after all."

Frank gives me a reassuring hand on the shoulder. "Dude, if you're happy and comfortable with her, then there's no reason not to be. Besides, flirting like that is, like, both showing your love, and making her laugh because you both know it's silly. It looks like she loves that, dude!"

I couldn't help but chuckle at that. "I would say she's more on the teasing side of the flirting spectrum...But, you know..." I say, crossing my arms. "Her words just...Make me smile." I say, making a smile myself. "Her compliments and advice make me feel cared for, like I'm special, and it just...Feels good, man."

For some reason, I was telling the truth.

Even with my previous experience with Monika while she was still in the game, her constant reminders of her love towards me melted my heart. I mean, yes, I know. It's a game. Its made for human interaction, and entertainment. Nothing more than calculations and coding.

This much I know.

But I would be lying if I said I wasn't conflicted with myself to whether or not I was in actually in love with a fictional, two-dimensional girl.

Something about how she wants nothing but the best for me just makes me feel like the most important person in the world. You could just say I love to be loved.

Trust is also a factor in my feelings. If someone can earn my trust, then they shall recieve my affection, platonic or not.

But now that she's apparently crossed over to our reality, I have no idea how to interact with her. The script in the game was all I had on information on her.

"God damn, dude, that sounds awesome..." Franks says, whining in jealousy. "But, I'm happy for you, man. If I can't have it, I'm at least happy you do."

I try to speak words, but I am quickly interrupted by the sound of a song playing.

Frank slips his hand into his pocket and pulls out his phone, looking over the source of the ringtone.

"Ooh, I should be heading out man. I've gotta help Joshua move out of his place. You want to come help?" He says, looking towards me.

Shaking my head, I spoke. "I think I'll pass, I need to have a talk with Mo-"

I stop myself before blowing my cover completely.

"...Anna."

Frank shrugged his shoulders in return, as he sat up from his seat, heading towards the door. I follow him towards the door, opening it for him.

But before he left, he turned to me, whispering.

"By the way, guy to guy, hows the sex?"

Hearing those words cause some kind of spasm in my legs, as I nearly fall to my knees.

"Whoa, dude. That good, huh?" Frank jokes.

"N-No, we just...haven't done that…" I say, making sure not to say "Yet".

I'd like to stay away from a subject like that for now.

Frank nods in agreement. "Ah, I see. Taking it slow, huh? Don't worry, I getcha."

I groan through my nose. "Yeah, yeah…"

"Ok, I'll see you on Monday, dude." He said before waving, and then starting his way down the walkway.

"Yeah, see you." I reply back, closing the door as he left.

Once I was alone, I turn and rest my back on my door, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thank god…" I say to myself, calming myself from my near nervous collapse. I slide down until I'm flat on the wood, my legs splayed onto the floor.

Being alone gave me a chance to collect my thoughts, as recent events drilled into my mind.

I just didn't get it. If she knows _everyone_ who played it, then why am I the one she wants to be with once she finally got out?

I know what others would think. They would think that this is a dream come true, like Monika herself. Would those people hate and scorn me for "Taking her for myself" if they found out?

Her compliments and sweet attitude make me feel so special and loved, but she knows nothing about me. Hell, she didn't even know what gender I was at first.

But if I'm going to be stuck with her, I might as well get some answers.

I stand from my seat, and started making my way down the hallway. I walk until I reach the end of the hall, where my laundry appliances were.

I step into the room, only to see Monika leaning against my dryer, as if she was waiting for me.

"So? Pretty good, huh?"

"Y-Yeah, really smart move…"

Monika skips over to me, her hands behind her back.

"I think I may just borrow some more of your clothes. It'll be like taking a part of you with me everywhere I go~!"

Heh. How cute.

"W-Well, what about your hair?" I ask, noticing she hadn't put it back in a ponytail.

"Well, if I keep it undone, no one will recognize me, right? Plus, if I'm gonna be with you, I might wanna new look. Wearing nothing but that uniform was just so boring. New life, new look, right?"

That's...actually kind of a refreshing idea. But I try and not let it distract me.

"Yeah, yeah, sounds great, but...Monika?

"Hm?" She replies, tilting her head.

"I...Think we need to have another talk…"


	6. Chapter 5

"What makes _me_ so special to you?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

I struggle to find the right words, much to Monika's confusion.

"W-Well...Frank was telling me that he absolutely adored you in the game…"

"Aaaand?"

"A-and if he played your game as well, then wouldn't that mean you would feel the same way from him?"

Monika's expression drops, a large frown forming on her face.

"Huh? What do you mean? I love you because you're the first real person I got to meet!"

"B-But...What if it was someone else who got you out of that hellhole?"

"Eh? Why does that matter now? I mean, I'm already here with you, aren't I?"

I put my hand to my head in frustration. "But it just makes no sense to me!" My voice raises, sending Monika aback.

Oh, crap. I think I scared her.

"S-Sorry, it's just…I'm just having a hard time trying to take all this in…"

Monika looks to the floor.

"Are...You that against me?"

"H-Huh?" I ask, with a sudden hole in my heart.

She steps to me, and tugs on my shirt, looking into my eyes.

"Am I...A problem for you?"

I find myself unable to find any words to say.

"I-I...It's just..."

All the while this beautiful girl stares into me, as if looking into my very soul.

"...Do you really want to know why I only want you?"

A pit forms in my stomach as I reluctantly nod in return. Her eyes break from mine, and drop to the floor.

"Can we...Go to the living room first?"

Again, I nod in agreement, as I turn around, only to be slightly halted.

I turn to find that Monika had grabbed a hold of my left hand, squeezing tightly. My heart sinks to my stomach as I see her eyes glued to the floor.

Yet, I return the gesture, and lead her down the hall.

Once we reach the living room, Monika releases my hand, and gestures for me to sit on the couch. I do so sitting straight, unsure of what to say or even think.

Monika takes a deep breath to herself, before taking a seat next to me, her head resting on my shoulder. She holds tightly onto my arm, as if I'd disappear of she let go.

"H-Hey! You-"

"Please...?"

I find myself silent at her sad,singular word.

"I just...Want to be like this while I tell you…Please?"

Dammit.

"...A-Alright, fine..."

Meanwhile, my mind is spinning circles. The smell of her hair permeated my nose, sending all my senses spiraling.

"...I…"

Monika mutters a single letter of a word, garnering my full attention.

"I want you to try and imagine something, Cecil."

"O-Okay?"

"Imagine...Waking up the morning, only to know that you are the only alive being in your world. Everything, but you, follows a fine-tuned routine, on the dot, right?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"And the only real connection to anyone like you is limited to a blank-faced avatar that acts upon the will of its user."

Well, she wasn't wrong about the protagonist. From what I could tell, he was just any kind of "Main Character Trope", no real interesting qualities or anything. Oh, he's a shut in who watches anime and reads manga, while being a general bum? How _**relatable**_ _._

"I-I see…"

"And, just when you are just about to give up on everything…You see _them._ "

"U-Uh, _them?"_ I ask.

"The one who, knowingly or not, frees you from the nightmare you thought you would live forever in."

Oh. She's talking about the players...

She's...talking about _**me**_.

My throat tightens as I listen to Monika's words.

"...Your dream comes true…"

My heart feels like it's going to shatter like a dropped wine glass. I knew she had to deal with all the digital hell that was the Literature Club, but I never realized it meant this much to her that she's here…

...with _me._

Monika looks to me, staring into my eyes.

Oh no. She's _crying…_ I've...never seen her cry before...

"Cecil...I know this is seems like just too much to take in...and I'm sorry…"

No no, please don't apologize...Otherwise I'll start crying...

She rests her head back on my shoulder. "I was just about as confused as you were...I was in the club room, watching the girls perform the same routine I see them do every week. Next thing I know, I'm surrounded by a flash of white light, and, well...Here I am…"

Huh? _She_ doesn't even know how she's here?

I guess we were on the same page about it the whole time…She probably just seemed too happy to think how any of it made sense.

 _Happy to see **me** …And I just made her cry._

"Cecil…"

"Y-Yeah?"

She raises her arms, wrapping them around my neck in a loving embrace. "I know it's a lot to take in. You'll need time to adjust to me, and I get that...But…"

B-But?

"Know that you are the only one I will give these feelings to. Yes, I...might have said it to everyone else who played, so they might seem like stale words to you, but…"

Again, but?

"I'm able to now experience the world I've always wanted to, because of you...I'm free from that hellish nightmare, because of you…"

Call me crazy, but for some reason a small smile was forming on my face.

"My dream came true...thanks to you." She whispered into my ear, sending an excited shiver down my spine. My reaction caused Monika to giggle. "If I came on too strong, I want to apologize... I was just so excited to have my prayers answered, and I wanted to give the love and appreciation you deserve for it…"

"But...I'm not the one who let you out, it was my cat…"

Speaking of which, I hadn't seen that fur-ball since Frank came over.

"Well, I can't spend the rest of my new life with your cat, right?"

Other people would beg to differ, Monika.

"Besides...If you were really upset with all this, you would have just kicked me to the curb, right?"

"R...Right…" I reply.

I couldn't let someone like her out into the world, knowing nothing of what the real world is like. She'd get torn to shreds.

Monika then adjusts herself, positioning her legs so that she is straddling me.

"Cecil...I know you just need to have time to get used to this...But remember…" She says, before giving me a long, loving kiss on the forehead. "These feelings truly are for you, and you only...Alright?"

I am at a loss of words. I don't think Ive ever had a girl talk like this to me before.

"And, if you're ever bothered by something, even if it's me who becomes the problem, please don't be afraid to tell me. I wouldn't be able to stand the thought of you hiding hatred for me for the sake of my feelings…"

Huh. Now she's starting to sound like she did in the game. Maybe that's why my heart felt like it warmed up a bit.

"Monika, it's just…"

"I know." She replies, pulling my head above her chest, allowing her to rest her chin on my head.. "If I become a problem, please tell me, and I'll just leave you alone-"

"N-No!" I raise my voice by instinct, causing Monika to release me.

Dammit, I did it again.

"I-I mean...Don't act like thats just going to happen…I'm won't just kick you out like that. I expect if I have a problem with you, you could work on it…"

What was I saying?

I thought I was a man who for sure knew the line between fantasy and reality, but here I was, acting like the protagonist of a cheesy, romantic slice-of-life series.

While in my thoughts, Monika looks into me, tears welling in her eyes. Dammit, that's the third time now!

"M-Monika?" I weakly ask, almost as if it was a whisper.

"I-Im sorry, it's just...It makes me so happy to hear you say that…" She says, wiping her tears. My face becomes completely flushed after hearing her speak those words. "So...Is everything cleared up, then?" She asks, a slight hint of anticipation in her voice.

"Y-Yeah, for now…" I reply, a sigh of relief leaving my lungs.

Monika smiles sweetly at me. "Then I guess I should get to work on winning you over, huh?". In the back of my mind, I wondered if she already did.

"O-O-Only if you want to..."

But my thoughts are cut short as I feel her hands cupped against my face, her warm, soft fingers stroking my cheeks.

"Then, I have something to tell you…"

My ears eagerly twitch, as I grew slightly excited at what she has to say. Her head leans into mine, resting her forehead on mine, as I get another whiff of her sweet-smelling hair.

"I love you." She states, my eyes locked with hers.

...Huh?

"I've loved you for a long time, ever since I first saw you..."

Wait...Am I…

"Will...You go out with me?"

Am…Am I being confessed to!?

By a _girl!?_

My mind spirals and twists in a way I've never experienced before. Emotions flow through my thoughts like a freshly burst dam.

Happiness, confusion, embarrassment, shock…

Suddenly, memories of the emotions I felt when Monika was still in the game flooded my thoughts. The happiness and love I felt from talking with her in the infinite classroom. I looked into the emerald green pools that were her eyes, which were eager with anticipation. My heart felt like it was transcending my body from how light it felt.

I don't know what it was, but…Monika just looked...So beautiful…

My mouth cocks a happy grin.

"...Y...Yeah." I say, a sigh leaving my lips.

Monika's eyes and mouth both widened in happiness, as she clamped her arms around me, rubbing her face against my chest.

I couldn't believe it, I was confessed to! Yes, it was from Monika, meaning that anyone else who played the game were told as well. But, she was right here, before my very eyes.

And I'm able to have her all to myself.

"Then...Close your eyes..." Monika says, turned a deep shade of red.

I couldn't think of what Monika was planning, as my mind was more focused on the fact that I have an actual girlfriend now. I close my eyes, eager for whatever she had in store from me.

Suddenly, I feel something press against my lips. Something warm and soft.

Wait, could she be…

I open my eyes to see Monika's face in mine, and could see exactly what she was doing.

" _Mmmuah~_!" Monika cutely mused as she disconnected her lips with mine.

I didn't know what to think, it was my first ever kiss from a girl!

I stared, gawking at Monika, who held a finger to her lips.

"To commemorate our new relationship, I give to you, my first kiss!" Monika giggled, grinning ear to ear.

"U-Uh...It was mine too…" I said, squirming like an embarrassed child.

Monika's already glowing, happy face grew brighter after hearing me. Her arms found themselves wrapped around my neck again, as Monika's embrace sends my heart fluttering.

"That's perfect!" She squealed, before giving me another peck on the forehead.

I didn't know why, but I found my arms raising and returning Monika's embrace. Either my arms were really long, or she just had a slender build, because my arms practically wrapped twice around her.

It felt...Good.

It felt very good to hold her.

My eyes return to hers, which were locked with mine.

"W-Well...What now?" I ask, unsure of what to do as I stare at Monika's mesmerizing eyes.

She brought a finger to her mouth in thought. "I kinda feel like staying in tonight."

"Oh, well, we can just watch a movie or something…"

"Popcorn and snuggles included?"

"I-I mean, if you want…"

"Yay~!" The young woman cheered, hugging me tighter.

I couldn't help but smile at her cute reaction.

"Then, I'll find the movie, you get the libations." Monika flirted as she released me, walking towards the shelf full of DVD's on the other side of the room.

Smiling, I took the liberty to rise from my seat, and walk towards my kitchen. I rummage through my pantry, finding anything that can be enjoyed with a movie.

 _Crap, I think I still have some popcorn around here somewhere…Ah, here it is_.

I grab the cellophane covered bag, unwrap it, and toss it in the microwave.

While the popcorn was popping, I look into my many cupboards and find a large bowl to keep it in. I look over towards Monika, who was browsing through my proud collection of movies, pulling different cases to examine the titles and descriptions.

I could tell which ones she was looking at, as I had them alphabetically organized. If one has to ask, I was incredibly bored one cold winter day.

She finally found the movie she wanted, picked right from the S-group.

"I think I found one~!" She sings, holding a single DVD case.

Suddenly, I hear the microwave signaling the popcorn was done. I pull out the bag and empty it to the bowl I had prepared, the smell of fresh butter creeping my nostrils.

I take the filled bowl back to the living room and drop onto the couch, watching as Monika loads the movie into my DVD player.

Huh. Now that I think about it, this kinda seems like a stay-at-home date.

I find my mouth curving into another smile. First girlfriend, first kiss, now my first date? Its too much for my heart to handle. It seemed like something that _should_ have probably happened to me at some point.

Not so much because I deserved it, but because I should have started with these kind of relationships when I was younger.

Once the DVD was loaded, she walked back towards me, and sat next to me. Our thighs squished together and her arms were tightly wrapped around my right arm. The feeling of her warm, slender arms just felt so nice wrapped around mine...

"W-Which one did you pick?" I ask, as Monika happily nuzzled her face into my shoulder.

"Oh, I found this one about two high-school seniors trying to find the last ounce of fun they can have together before they graduate. All while repairing their questionable friendship."

I couldn't recognize the movie by the plot, as I was sure I had multiple with the same story as that.

"What's the title of it?" I ask, tossing a small handful of popcorn in my mouth.

"I think was called 'Superbad'..."

I almost cough on the popcorn in my mouth, as I try to keep myself from laughing. "Y-You really chose that?" I chuckled, a dumb smile across my face.

"O-Oh? Is it not a good one?"

"Oh no, no, it's great. Here, just watch." I say, as I pressed 'Play Movie' on the DVD menu.


	7. Chapter 6

The sunlight from my window shines upon my face the next morning, as if the sun itself wanted to wake me up.

I slightly raise my head, and pop my neck, the satisfying cracks of air bubbles between my joints echoing through the room.

My eyes take a moment to adjust, as a heavy yawn left my throat. I attempt to leave the bed, but am denied by something anchoring my arm.

To my left, laid Monika, sleeping peacefully as if my arm was a hug-pillow.

 _Wow...I never thought her sleeping face would look so beautiful…_

"M-Monika, its time to wake up."

She seemed to hear my words in her sleep, as I can see a slight grimace on her face. Her arms and legs started shifting, and I could hear her breathing increase in tempo.

"M-Monika?" I ask, only to have the sleeping beauty tighten her grip on my arm.

Crap, what's going on? Is she alright?

"N-No...please…" Monika muttered in her sleep. "D-Don't leave…"

 _Oh no, I think she's having a nightmare._

I grab a hold of her shoulder, and gently shake her. "Monika…" I gently mused. "Come on, wake up."

Her slight thrashing ceased once she opened her eyes, meeting mine.

"C-Cecil?" She asks, as if I had been gone for years.

A smile comes across my face. "I think you were just having a nightmare."

Suddenly, tears start to envelope her eyes as she looked at me. Why do I have a habit of making her cry?

"M-Monika?" I ask, confused at the stream of tears rolling down her cheek.

I see her lips curve into a smile, as she released my arm and cupped my cheeks with her welcoming hands.

"I'm so glad…"

I tilt my head in slight confusion, while my cheeks start to flush from her beautiful smile.

"You're not a dream! I'm really still here!"

I felt a twang in my heart as Monika's words echoed through my mind.

My recall of last night came to my mind, as I stared into her beautiful eyes.

* * *

"Well, how was it?" I ask as the credits of our movie rolled, only to be met with silence.

I look over towards Monika, who never left her seat. Only because she had already fallen asleep during the movie.

Wait, shes asleep?

Huh.

It had come to my mind I had never seen or even imagined what she would look like while sleeping.

I could feel her face leaning against my arm, and judging by the moisture on my arm, it looked like she was slightly drooling on me.

"Hey, Monika, the movies over." I say, causing Monika's sleeping eyes to flutter awake.

She brought a hand to her face, rubbing her freshly awakened eyes. "D-Did I miss the rest? I remember the two leaving that weird guy's party…" She recalls. "I guess it was just too comfortable snuggling with you that I fell asleep…"

A chuckle leaves my lips, as Monika leaned her head back onto my shoulder. I look over towards the clock, reading 11:47.

Damn, where did the time go?

"I guess we should be getting to sleep. You can have my bed, I'll just stay out here on the couch."

Monika's expression dropped after hearing my words.

"Huh? We aren't going to sleep together?" She asks, slightly whining.

My face tightens at those words, as I struggle for words to rebutte with.

I could take that we're dating now, but I wasn't sure about sleeping in the same bed with her. I mean, I can take that she was a video game character that magically came into my life, and, _somehow_ , became my girlfriend, but I'm sure I wouldn't even be able to sleep from how nervous I would be.

"W-What?" I ask, turning my head towards her.

"I-I just thought we would sleep together, since we're together now…" She says, her own face turning red. "A-And.."

And?

"I-I...I'm scared that...you won't be there when I wake up…" She explained in a somber tone, holding me closer to her. "I'm...scared that this is all just a dream, and I'll just wake right back in that... _horrible_ reality…"

Wow. I didn't even think about that. I don't want her to feel that way, not at all!

"W-Well...if you put it like that…" I stammer, scratching my head.

Her head perked at this, as she looked back at me.

"...I guess...we can...sleep together…"

Christ, that had to be the most embarrassing thing I've ever said.

A fusion of embarrassment and joy could be seen from Monika's smile.

"Thank you…" She said, giving another peck on my cheek. I can feel my heart flutter in my chest every time she does so.

She releases my arm, and stand from her seat. Her hand extends forwards, offering it to me.

"Well, shall we then?"

* * *

Meanwhile in the present, Monika rose from the bed, exposing the t-shirt and shorts she borrowed from me. She stretched her arms above her head, exposing her slender belly.

The sight sends a shade of red to my cheeks, hypnotizing me. I quickly snap from my trance, and clear my throat.

"We have a big day today. We'll need to go shopping for clothes and such if you're going to be staying with me."

Monika smiles at my words. "As long as you pick a few outfits for me!" She chirped, as she left the bed.

Meanwhile, I sit on the bed, rubbing my eyes. A yawn leaves my throat, as my eyes open to a mug in front of my face.

Monika had brought me a mug of coffee. It was even in my favorite mug.

"Here you go. I know you're not much of a coffee drinker, but it's always a pretty good way to start the day." She says, offering me said cup.

Wow. That was _fast._

Like, " _coffee-doesn't-brew-that-quickly"_ kind of fast.

Regardless, I thankfully take the cup, my cheeks turning a shade of red.

I take a quick glance at Monika, who seemed to be looking at me with a look of eager anticipation. I imagine its what Natsuki would look like during the scene with her cupcakes.

I take the message, and bring my lips to the edge of the mug, taking a small sip of the steaming liquid within.

 _Damn. That's a pretty good cup of joe._

I can't believe I just thought that.

"Wow, this tastes great. And that's saying a lot, since I don't usually drink this stuff." I compliment, as Monika's ears perked in happiness.

"Oh, thank you... I wasn't too sure how you liked it, so I just went with a _moderate_ amount of sugar and cream."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. I might just drink it more if you make it like this all the time." I say as I take another sip of the sweet, yet satisfyingly bitter brew.

"Oh? I guess I'll have to hold up then~"

My lips creep into an embarrassed and timid smile, as I scratch the back of my head.

But as I do so, I could feel my fingers catch on my hair as they weaved through. Dammit, I hate it when I get bed head. I look away, looking desperately for a comb or a brush.

"Hey, could you pass me a comb real quick? I don't know where it could be, but if you look, you'll-"

"Here you go!"

I look in front of me, only to be met with a small, black comb.

Wow, that was _really fast_.

"T-Thanks…"

She gives me a loving peck on the cheek, as a sign of "You're welcome".

"I want to take a shower first, before we do anything. Care to join me?"

I could hear the hormones screaming in my brain as I hear those words, as the mere thought nearly made my legs give out. But she gives a cute giggle, knowing exactly what I was thinking.

"Calm down, I'm just teasing." She said, as she glided her hand across my shoulder while walking towards my bathroom. She stops, before turning her head towards me.

"Though, if you really wanted, I couldn't really stop you, could I?" She said, before leaving me to myself like a mic-drop.

 _God, that's just_ _ **evil**_ _…_

But, I couldn't help but feel lucky for having her with me.

Resisting the temptations that would usually come when a girl is in your shower, I rise from the bed and onto my computer and perform my usual routine of closing the pesky popup ads that infested my desktop, in an attempt to distract my mind.

But, despite of the events from yesterday, I remain surprised that my computer remain untouched.

You'd think with a human being being spit out of a computer, or whatever might have happened, that _something_ would have happened to the computer.

Suddenly, I hear what sounds like a vibrating object across a wooden surface, and could see my phone had lit up for a notification. Strange, I don't think I left it silent.

I pick it up, and could see I received a message from Frank, of all people. Huh. What could he need?

"I look at the preview of the message, and grewe uneasy at the subject name of the message:

[ **QuiCk, AnSWer back!** ]

God, Frank always typed so sloppily.

" _ **[Whoa dude, calm down. Just woke up. Whats up.]"**_ I reply back, confused at Frank's belligerent message.

" _ **Dude, it's fucking crazy! Haven't you been hearing around?"**_

I tilt my head to myself in confusion. What happened?

" _ **[What? What's going on?]"**_

" _ **Dude. Look up 'DDLC Monika'."**_

Huh?

He just wanted me to look at pictures of Monika on the internet?

I think in my situation, I won't be needing those anymore.

" _ **[Dude, what the hell do you mean?]"**_

I wait for only a few moments, until I hear my phone ring again. This time, Frank sent his message in three separate segments.

" _ **Just."**_

" _ **Do."**_

" _ **It."**_

A wave of uncertainty passes my mind. Why does he want me to see so badly?

I grab my mouse, pull up the internet, click on the search bar, and type in " _ **DDLC Monika**_ ".

Once I press enter, confusion and disbelief fell upon me as I read the links from the search engine.

" _ **Monika's GONE!"**_

" _ **WHERE IS SHE!?"**_

" _ **DAN FIX THIS NOWWWWW!"**_

"Fuck."

I swear to myself in disbelief. It's only been a day, how the hell could anyone else have known?

Word spreads faster than I thought.

What got my attention was a few Twitter posts, displaying the confusion and apparent anger in the fanbase. A shiver ran down my spine as I read through the anger-filled posts:

" **Just what the hell kind of joke is this!? Is my game bugged or something!?** "

" **I was talking with her in the infinite classroom, when she vanished before my very eyes!** "

" **There aren't even any pictures of her official artwork to be seen! Not even on the Internet!** "

Wait, _**what?**_

"They can't be serious, there's no way…" I say to myself, as I click my mouse on the "Images" tab on the search engine. And I am met with a blood-chilling sight before me.

True to the post's word, any of Monika's official drawings were nowhere to be seen, even in images I knew for certain she was involved in. I even look towards one image, which displayed the first couple minutes of the game, and where Monika was _supposed_ to show up and introduce herself.

 _Completely_ _ **empty**_ _. Not even her textbox was visible._

I just don't get it. What the hell is going on?

"Ok, this is just some kind of joke, right?" I chuckled to myself in a vain attempt of denial.

The internet is home to many people whose sole purpose is to harass and cause trouble for others online, after all. Completely ridiculous.

But, that doesn't stop the doubt swimming in my heart.

I exit the internet, and pull up my Steam Library, my hands shaking for what was to come.

I have to know for sure. And I know how to make sure of it.

I scroll down to my screenshots, remembering clearly about a one I took before even playing the game. I had just downloaded it, not even played a single minute of it, and I knew the screenshot was of the title screen.

My mouse clicks on it, and could feel my blood freeze solid.

This screenshot I had of the game, before I even started playing, featured only three of the four girls.

 _ **With Monika completely missing.**_

I frantically check the date of the screenshot, and see that it had been a few weeks since then.

 _How could this happen?_

 _It's as if she_ _ **never**_ _existed! Just how the-_

" _Cecill~_! Could you come in here please~?"

Suddenly, I am pulled from my thoughts, as I hear a sweet voice echo from across the room.

A look behind myself could see that steam was rising from the bottom of the door, and I could hear the sound of water running behind.

 _ **Shit.**_

"U-Uhm, are you sure?" I answerback, raising my voice as to let Monika hear through the shower.

"Of course! I wanna ask you something!"

I couldn't believe it. Monika wanted me to walk into the bathroom with her in the shower, knowing very well she's probably completely naked!?

"U-Uh, I…"

"Come on already~!"

I look back and forth between the door, and the computer screen.

 _Maybe I should tell her what's going on._

My legs find themselves moving by themselves, as I approach and lean my ear inches from the wooden barrier between us. I can feel a small, rising heat leaking from the bottom, which was most likely steam.

"A-Are you sure you can't just ask me through the door?" I ask, nervous for an answer.

"Huh? I can't hear you, just come in here!"

A pained groan leaves my lips as I bring my hands to my head in frustration.

 _God_ _ **Dammit**_ _!_

Ultimately, I breathe a defeated sigh, and grab hold of the doorknob.

My wrist turns, and I push the door forward, revealing the inside the bathroom.

The hair on the back of my neck stands on end, as my eyes meet with Monika's shadow, which could be seen through from her side of the shower curtain.

My eyes were locked with the sight, as I close the door behind me.

"Cecil?"

The calling of my name snapped me from my focus on Monika's silhouette, as I fumble with my words.

"W-W-What d-d-did you w-want to ask…? B-B-Because, I-I-I mean, I-I have something to t-tell you as w-well…:" I say, finding myself shaking.

All I hear is a slight giggle from the other side.

"Why are you being so nervous? I'm covered by the curtain, you know."

"W-Well, y-you're in the shower and all…"

"Calm down already, you're shaking like a dog."

"I-It can't really be helped, I've never been in these kinds of situations..."

I could see Monika's arms cross, judging by the movements of her shadow.

"Maybe we could cure it if you joined me~"

I feel my breath leave me, as I struggle to maintain my posture. Damn her and her sweet words.

"I-I think I'll just catch one after you…"

My words seemed to take Monika aback, as her silence caused a stir in my stomach.

"Do...you really not want to see me like this?"

"I-I do want to but...W-Wait, no...uh, I...What I meant to say was…."

I jumble and stammer my words, struggling to speak. Just how do you say you're attracted to someone, without coming across as a pervert? I mean, she already knows what kind of pornography I watch, but I just can't be too sure.

I just don't want to scare her off with who I really am.

Dammit. I should give her an answer, though.

"Well, I just-Gah!"

My words are cut short, as the curtain flung itself open, revealing Monika inside. My pathetic reaction was to fling my arms to my face, blocking my vision.

"Why are you acting so embarrassed? I'm only wearing a swimsuit."

 _...Huh?_

My eyes slowly peel open, to reveal a sight I never thought I'd be able to see on this plane of existence.

True to her word, her nudity was covered by a simple, two-piece bikini, both pieces striped with green and white. While not as flashy as it could have been, it still stuck well enough to her skin to see her curvy body.

 _Oh god, stripes are one of my weaknesses…_

I found my eyes glued to the divine sight before me, as they followed every curve on Monika's body.

Her arms swing behind her, as her face turns about as red as mine.

"D-Don't stare too much, alright? It's still kind of embarrassing…"

I felt as if a gun had shot point-blank in my heart. How the hell can she be this exposed, yet still be so modest and cute?

"S-Sorry, you...just look amazing in it…" I speak, looking immediately to the floor.

Monika's face turned more pink, as she looked away, her smile increasing in size. "T-Thank you…It's the most you'll see for now..." She said, her words sweeter sounding than sugar.

…

…

...Wait a minute.

 _ **How is she even wearing that**_?

I look to Monika's sweet, flattered face, as a small wave of confusion hit my thoughts.

"U-Uh, Monika?"

"Hm?"

I swallow the spit in my throat, hesitant with my words.

"Where...did you get that?"

In that moment, the smile and blush on her face vanished, as a look of worry comes across her face.

 _Did I hit the bullseye on something?_

"W-Well, I just found it in your drawer, and thought I would put it on...I-I mean, you had already had it, so…" Monika replied in a dismissive tone.

Ok, that was obviously a lie. There's no way I could have something like that laying around my house without my knowledge.

"But... it just so happened to be your favorite color, and just the right fit?"

"That's what I thought!" She interjected. "B-But..I just wanted to put it on for you is all…" Her words crawl through her lips, as she fiddles with her fingers.

Her words hit my heart, as guilt courses through my heart.

I don't know how she was able to wear what she was wearing, but whatever reason, I can't feel any doubt towards her when I look at her like this.

But...

 _She did it for me?_

I feel my heart leap from my chest, and I stammer my words like a nervous schoolboy. "S-Sorry, I...I was just confused is all…"

"I-Its alright, I-I'm honestly just about as confused...but, I would be lying if I said i didn't think it belonged to an ex of yours…"

My arms frantically wave in front of me, dismissing Monika's assumption. "No, nononono, I-I've never even seen that before…"

Maybe it was a coincidence after all.

Frank probably left it here to play a prank on me. He knows how paranoid I get with this crap. Now I've gotta get him back.

"R-Really? T-That's good…" Monika replied, her mood lifting after hearing my response.

"Y-Yeah, I don't even really have any exes anyway...the last technical _girlfriend_ I had was in Fourth Grade…" I say, recalling my lonely childhood.

Speaking of mysterious clothes, I look to the laundry bin, and could see the clothes Monika wore before taking her shower. At the top, I could see a pair of white panties.

 _Crap, that's probably her only pair. Maybe I should wash it._

"U-Uhm, did you want me to wash any... _unmentionables_ while you're in here?" I ask, garnering the girl's attention. "I-I mean, i know we're going shopping anyway, but it's never comfortable to wear unclean underw-... _unmentionables_ …"

Monika's cheeks turn a deep shade of red once again, as her eyes avert in embarrassment.

"Y-Yeah, g-go ahead…"

In a quick motion, I lean and lift the basket from the ground, and open the door behind me.

"Y-You can wear some more of my clothes, if you need. I keep my clothes pretty clean most of the time." I offer, which caused her to giggle. God, I don't know why, but I love hearing it.

"Thank you so much...for, everything, really…"

"O-Of course…" I say, looking towards the happy sight before me.

 _Ok Cecil, now's your chance._

"W-What kind of boyfriend would I be if I wasn't able to provide for my girlfriend?" My words say through my smile.

After hearing my words, I could see the embarrassment and happiness overflowing within Monika.

 _Brownie points get._

"O-Ok, I'll just be in the laundry room…" I say, before starting on my way out.

Before I close the door, I hear Monika call for me.

"C-Cecil?"

"Y-Yeah?" I reply, eager for her request.

"I...I love you…"

My face goes numb from an overflow of blood, as my heart ascending from my chest in happiness.

"...I...I love you too…"

I close the door behind me, which made me miss Monika's reaction to my reply. Whatever it was, it probably would have melted me from the inside.

My legs move on their own, as I walk through my home towards the laundry room. Once inside, I place the basket on the floor with a loud thud. All the while, the words Monika spoke to me bounced in my head.

 _I love you…_

Dammit.

Why do I feel so happy all of a sudden?

Of all the infinite universes in the world, I get to live in the one where I can have a woman to myself. One that truly loves and cares for me.

I find myself with a fixated smile. I'm grinning ear to ear for the first time in a while.

 _God, I'm so lucky to have her…_

It almost makes me feel better about her practically not existing anymore.

…. **Damn.**

I forgot to tell her about that.


	8. Chapter 7

I find myself a half-hour later waiting outside the bathroom door, leaning against the wall.

Christ, she can take a long shower.

I had just earlier slipped in a set of clothes that Monika could wear, comprising of a sweater and a pair of jeans, along with a clean pair of my boxers. They were among the cleaner articles of clothing within my closet, and I hoped that she would find them the least bit fashionable in her eyes.

I decided it would be best to wait and tell her once she was dressed first.

While I waited for the beauty in my bathroom, I had found my mind at an impasse.

On one hand, I was happy.

Happy because I have a beautiful girl within the walls of my home. One that I know loves me, and makes me feel so special, even for the smallest quirks.

She chose me above all the others she came across while living inside the game.

And I should feel happy about that.

...But on the other hand...

I couldn't help but feel anxious and scared, all while the thoughts of earlier weighed on my mind.

Like a lead weight was attached to my forehead.

Just how could Monika be completely gone from _every_ single copy of DDLC? I could only guess its because she's literally under the same roof as mine, but I just didn't make sense of how images taken in the past could have also been altered.

Its as if she was completely wiped from existence, only known in memory.

But it did get me thinking.

Would printed images on paper be affected as well? What about designs on clothing?

It would sure surprise someone to wake up one morning, pour a cup of coffee, only to find their customized image of Monika completely erased from the specialized mug they ordered online.

I take a large, winded sigh to myself, and cross my arms.

Just when I felt like there wasn't a catch to Monika being here, this comes out of nowhere. What's going to happen of someone eventually finds out? Will she be loved too much for her own sake?

 _Would...they take her away?_

My ears twitch at the sound of the water shutting off, as I straighten myself from the wall.

I could hear her humming through the door.

"Oh? You left me some clothes?" I can hear her ask.

"Y-Yeah...I-I hope you don't mind what I picked, I don't really know your style yet…"

"Oh, how sweet! But that's why we're going out, right?" She replies excitedly.

"Yeah, I guess…" I reply, my mood lightening from her sweet voice. "Are you all done in there?"

Moments after those words left my mouth, the door swung open, and out stepped Monika, wearing the clothes I had gathered for her.

Dammit, she's cute even when she wears plain clothing!

"Soo~? How do I look?" Monika mused.

"I-I have this feeling your literally able to look good in anything…" I reply, bringing my lips to a small smile. My words seemed to have hit the mark, as I could see her face flush with happiness.

Practically throwing herself at me, she locks her arms around my chest in an overly-affectionate hug. I could hear her giggling into my chest, as my own face burns an intense red.

"G-Geez, you're clingy today…" I chuckle nervously as Monika rubs her face into my shirt.

"I can't help it, I just love you too much!"

My face flushes into an embarrassed smile, as I ease the tension in my spine, melting into her arms.

My own arms slowly wrapped themselves around Monika's neck, returning the embrace.

"Mmmm...Its nice being held by you…" Monika purred, her arms wrapping tighter around my abdomen.

"Y-Yeah...Same here…" I reply, as another whiff of her hair flooded my nostrils.

Monika raised her head, looking up towards me with her chin resting on my chest.

"So what did you want to tell me?"

I look deep into the emeralds that were her eyes, as the events of earlier weighed on my mind.

I want to tell her about what is going on with her game, but…

 _She just looks so happy and excited…_

I feel like bringing this up would kill the whole mood, along with her excitement.

My heart feels like it's going to hit the floor through my feet. I swallow the saliva in my throat before speaking.

"I-It's nothing, it can wait. B-But, are you about ready to go yet?"

"Well, All I need are some shoes, but I have those already. But, I'm gonna borrow a pair of your socks."

"Along with the rest of my clothes?"

"Well, it wouldn't be a good idea to wear my uniform, now would it?"

"That's why I'm pulling some funds from my life savings to get you what you need."

Monika's expression dropped at the sound of my words.

"Y-Your life savings?" She croaked.

"Yeah...I don't like the idea of taking from it either. I was saving it for when I retired…"

"O-Oh, you don't need to-"

"No no, its fine. If you're going to live in this world, as well as my own house, you'll need a few personal items, like clothes and other essentials." I reply, giving a pained smile.

I could see a sad smile form on Monika's lips, as a single tear falls from her eye.

"M-Monika?"

"I-I'm sorry...you're just so sweet...I'm so happy to be here right now…"

My heart turns into a vicious goo within my chest, as I bring my hand to her cheek.

"Well, get used to it, I guess." I say, bringing my lips towards her for a peck on her nose.

Her face immediately flushed from my affectionate kiss, she buries her face into my chest to hide her beet-red face.

 _Shit, she's just too cute!_

After a few moments in one another's embrace, she releases me.

"You know, I'm not the only one who needs to get ready." She says, scanning me from my head to my feet.

"R-Right, I was just waiting on you…" I reply, smiling sheepishly.

After a quick giggle at my messiness, Monika drew her finger down my chest.

"Don't keep me waiting now~" She mused as she left the room, leaving myself in the room.

Taking advantage of the time to myself, I walk over towards the bathroom, peeling my shirt off.

After closing the bathroom door behind me, I look into the mirror, performing my daily check-up on myself.

I still really should shave soon.

I start to remove the rest of my clothes, when something catches the corner of my eye.

Hanging from the curtain rod, hung a pure white, simple yet lacey bra.

 _Wait a minute._

 _If that's here, then..._

I nearly fall over myself at what my mind conjured, as I quickly snatched the undergarmnet from the curtain, and threw it in the bathroom closet.

I sigh to myself in embarrassment for myself, as I scratched the back of my head.

 _Christ Cecil, getting embarrassed over a friggin bra? Real manly…_

I shake the thoughts from my head, as I strip myself, and hop into the shower. While soaking in the hot water, my thoughts can't help but spiral towards Monika.

Just the thought that she would even be able to live in our world would be a dream come true to people, and would jump at the slightest opportunity to be with her. And I should feel lucky that I'm able to do just that.

But I can't help but feel guilty.

She's giving me her heart and thensome, but I can't help but feel skeptical about the events conspiring around her. I feel like I'm just wasting the affection she's giving me.

I accepted that she was a video game character that was just given a slight meta edge, and that if I had developed feelings for her, they would truly be one-sided.

After all, she was just a drawing with a textbox.

But now that she's somehow real, and she's human being like me, I feel like my beliefs on reality are all muddled and murky.

Maybe my true feelings towards her will develop in due time. For now, I should start to at least get her situated within this world. She'll need clothing, a sort of identification, and an understanding of the world she's now living in.

And our world can be a beautiful, yet cruel place. The sooner she knows this, the better.

But I'm sure that with a face as pretty as hers, she can do whatever she wants.

She could probably just leave me the second she finds someone else.

...

...Huh.

Why did my heart sink when I thought about that?

"Cecillll! Hurry up already!"

The sound of Monika's impatient voice pierced through the door, snapping me from my thoughts.

 _Crap, I took too long!_

I quickly shut off the water, realizing I didn't even wash myself, and dart out the bathroom. I frantically look through my closet, trying to find anything in it I could actually wear in public.

Christ, I need to do more laundry.

"Fuck it." I bluntly exclaim to myself, and grab whatever pair of jeans along with a sweater I could find. Time's not really on my side to decide anyway.

I attempt to dress myself while moving, hopping while I stepped to get myself in the jeans, while straightening out my shirt and sweater.

I leave my bedroom, and start towards the front door where my shoes remained, untouched from two days ago.

Doing this, another sight catches my eye.

I look over top the living room, and could see Monika, sitting on the couch with Stevie on her lap. She happily ran her hands along his fur, smiling at the purrs he was giving off. I could clearly see he was enjoying it. If only he could see her though….

Hm.

If only he could see _me,_ his very owner.

Nonetheless, the sight brings a warm pulse to my heart, and I can't help but smile.

Meanwhile, Monika raised her head, and could see me across the room.

"Oh? All ready now?" She asked, an expectant look on her face.

"Y-Yeah, just need shoes…" I say as I bend over, and picked up said shoes off the floor.

I walk towards the couch, and have a seat next to Monika.

"So, are you excited for today?" She asks, as Stevie remained on her lap.

"For the most part." I say, sliding my feet into my shoes. "It's going to pain me, but I have to take some kind of responsibility for you, right?"

Another sad smile formed on her face at my words.

"B-But if its really a problem, we can-"

"I already said its fine, so don't worry about it. Just, you know...go easy on my wallet." I say, interrupting Monika.

The sad smile on her face brightened, as she grabs a hold of my arm once again.

"I love you…" She softly said, resting her cheeck on my shoulder.

Those words.

Those damned words.

My heart sinks to my stomach as those words rung through my mind.

She just said she loved me.

But I don't know if I truly love her in return.

My limbs go limp with guilt, and I look at Monika's happy and relaxed face with a pained expression.

"I-I...love you too…" I say, only to give reassurance to the girl before me.

It pains me to practically lie to her right now.

But who knows?

Maybe I could develop a love for her over time. For now, I should just help her get a hold on the new world before her.

After tying my shoelaces, I was all set to go for the day. I stood from the couch, releasing myself from Monika's grasp.

She could tell from my action it was time to leave, as she let Stevie off her lap and stood along with me.

We both walk towards the door, and I grab a hold of the door handle.

"Well...shall we be off then?"

"Yes, lets!"

* * *

 **I want to apologize for the late chapter, I've just been only thinking about what to do for future chapters, I couldn't get my mind to wrap around this one first.**

 **Sorry, and have a wonderful day.**


	9. Chapter 8

I slowly open the door, sending a rush of fresh air through Monika and myself. I step outside, holding the door open for the young woman, whose eyes were filled with a look of wonder and excitement.

As her feet walked forward into the outdoors, everything was catching her eyes. The trees, the buildings, just about everything seemed exciting and new to her.

And I really couldn't blame her. This is a new world to her after all.

"We haven't even taken three steps and you already look like a kid in a candy store." I chuckled a hearty laugh at Monika's adorable excited look.

"Well of course!" She exclaimed back as she ran over and placed her hands on the safety rails opposite of the building. "The trees are so green and beautiful! The clouds are so fluffy and full!"

"And it doesn't look like a generic Japanese prefecture." I cheekily state.

"It's all just…so exciting!" Monika squealed, causing another chuckle to myself.

I walk towards Monika, and extend my arm, offering my hand to her.

"Well, we've literally only started." I say with an excited tone myself.

And I would say I'm kind of excited to show Monika what she's always wanted to see.

Her eyes catch my hand, then look towards mine. A sweet smile covers her lips, as she took her small hand in mine.

As I lead her down the stairs, Thoughts of leading Monika into the real world flooded my brain.

And I was getting excited to be her guide through this new world for her.

I could show her everything she's wanted to see! I could show her the zoo that resides in our town, take her to whatever restaurant she wants, just about anything that wasn't the digital hellhole she was trapped in.

I lead her across the parking lot towards my car, which was a small, hand-me-down luxury Buick.

It's not a limo, but it's a set of wheels regardless.

I release Monika's hand, and quickly walk over to the passenger side to open the door for her.

But once I look over, I could see her completely frozen stiff as she looked upon my modest motor vehicle.

"Something wrong?" I ask, confused.

"W-We have to go in a car…?" She weakly asked, looking to me.

"Huh? Well, yeah. It would take forever to get there on foot. Plus there's not really anything for public transportation."

And that much was true about my hometown. I don't know why, but as big as my town is, there's no established form of public transportation, aside from taxis and busses.

But the only way to really get around in my town is by car, which Monika really seems to be afraid of.

"Do you have something against cars?"

"N-No, no...it's just...I've never ridden in one before…"

My eyes widened at the realization of it all.

Her world was modeled after the stereotypical Japanese prefecture, meaning the only real way to get around is by foot.

Cars are pretty uncommon in those tropes, so it's understandable if one has never ridden in one of these metal death machines.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that possibility…" I look to the ground in guilt of my ignorance. "Y-You have nothing to worry about, though. I'm probably the safest driver you'll ever know. I've never been in an accident before, and I even drive a bit below the speed limit."

"O-Oh, don't worry…" She replies. "I know I can trust you, I'm...just a little nervous…"

Huh.

I kind of find it cathartic that Monika is the nervous one this time, despite being the reason my blood pressure has been so high lately.

Understanding her feelings, I extend my hand once more to guide her into the passenger seat.

"You have nothing to worry about, I promise."

I shut the car door for her, and then enter the car from my side, buckling my seatbelt.

"Safety first, buckle up." I say, looking over towards the unbuckled Monika.

She nods back to me and quickly secured herself with a click of a seatbelt.

As I turn on the car, I can't help but notice something from the young woman out of the corner of my eye.

Her hands were shaking, as they kept a death grip with the safety bars.

 _She really is nervous…_

I look to the terrified beauty with concern.

"Monika."

The sound of her own name made her flinch, as she looked towards me in return.

"If you're really that scared, you can hold my hand again if you want."

"But...wont you need both hands to drive?"

"Do you not trust me?"

She was silent after hearing my question.

But I am confident in multitasking while driving. I'm one of the most safest drivers anyone could meet.

I extend my hand to her once again, which she slowly takes, slipping her fingers between mine.

As embarrassing as taking her hand in mine was, I was more concerned for her feelings than mine.

And _god,_ she has such soft hands.

"Alright then, let's go." I say, shifting the car into gear with my available hand.

Once we exited the parking lot and began on our way into town, Monika's fears seemed to settle little by little. Her hands were shaking less and less with each mile we passed.

Whenever I looked over towards her, I could see the same look of wonder and excitement as when she first walked out the door.

Nothing was spared from her vision, and I couldn't help but chuckle to myself.

"So, where would you like to go first?" I ask, looking towards the road.

"Gosh, there's so much, I can't even decide!" She excitedly chirped.

"Well, we do have an outdoor mall downtown. It has everything we need."

"Sounds great!" She happily agreed, squeezing my hand tighter. A bright, radiant grin crossed across her lips, which forced me to smile as well.

Smiles are one of the most wondrous things that anything with a mouth can do.

After about a half hour driving, we both arrive to our destination.

The outdoor mall my town features stretches to form one large strip of businesses and is one of the most popular spots in town, for both tourists and natives alike. From clothes stores, to restaurants, to even small department stores, it has everything one would require in day to day life.

After spending an ungodly amount of time searching for a parking space, both Monika and I step out of the car, giving us a chance to stretch our legs. While I locked the car from the outside, Monika skips over towards me.

"Which one should we go to first?" She excitedly asked, eagerness in her eyes.

"Well, we're here for you, so it's your choice."

"Hmm…" she hummed in thought, her hand to her chin. "I think I would want to get some new clothes first, then get something to eat after. I haven't had anything to eat since I crossed into this world."

"Fair enough." I agree, slipping my keys into my pocket.

After taking a few steps down the sidewalk, Monika slips her arm around mine, holding it close to her.

"H-Hey…" I stutter, my face slightly burning in embarrassment.

"What? I thought this was something that girlfriends do. Do you not want me to?"

I can't deny that having my arm held by such a beautiful girl feels really nice.

Like, _**really**_ nice.

"D-Do what you want…"

A giggle from the chestnut haired beauty rang through my ears, as her grip on my arm tightened.

As we perused down the strip, Monika's eyes were attracted to every store we passed, her options increasing with every door we walk past.

Meanwhile, I can't help but notice all the staring from all the other shoppers.

All pointed directly at Monika.

 _Why the hell is everyone staring at us?_

Everyone's eyes locked onto her doesn't help the fact I am already nervous about keeping her identity a secret.

But for some reason, I can't help but feel at least a little proud.

I am the only one out of everyone in the world that can actually have Monika in their life physically, after all.

This thought, coupled with Monika's adorable curious side, helped to alleviate my nerves.

But only _slightly_.

"Oh, oh, let's go into that one first!" She excitedly stated, pointing at a local clothing store next to us.

Once we entered the store, she releases my arm in excitement, and immediately leaves to browse the isles of clothes. I follow after, only to not have to wait in one spot.

She excitedly looks through a rack filled with different shirts, sifting through each hanger.

"If you see anything you like, don't be afraid to speak up." I say, watching her eyes dart in every direction.

After a small giggle, she rebuttes my previous statement.

"I could say the same for you. Pick anything you want to see me in."

The words she spoke both embarrassed and excited me in a sense, as my cheeks turn another shade of red.

"W-What does that mean?"

"Oh come on, what do you think it means?"

"Uhm...well...I…"

"You told me to pick some clothes for myself, but I also want to have some outfits you want to see me in. Is it so wrong to want to wear what you like?"

My heart skipped twice the number of beats after hearing those words.

"R….Really?"

"Of course!" Monika replies, looking away from the racks of clothes, and into my eyes. "I want to be the best girlfriend ever to the best boyfriend ever, so don't be afraid to tell me what you like!"

She then pokes a finger into my chest. "But keep it tasteful, ok? We arent **that** far yet in our relationship."

"O-Of course…" I nervously reply, while my mind was filled to the brim of what I thought Monika would look like in different clothing.

As far as I was concerned, the only clothing she officially wore was her generic japanese sailor-style school uniform. The only instance of clothing other than that on her was merely fanart.

My cheeks burn a shade of red as my mind conjured images of Monika in assorted clothing.

"You like stripes, right?"

My mind snaps from my thoughts, as my eyes point towards the young beauty, a green striped shirt within her hands.

"H-How did…"

"Well, judging by your reaction to the swimsuit earlier, I can only assume you do."

My face flushes in embarrassment at the thought of that intimate situation, as Monika giggles at my reaction.

"Seems I hit a bullseye~" She teased, before picking a few more hanging articles of clothing. "Come on, let's go try them out!"

She can't be serious.

"W-Wait, what? Y-You mean, go into the changing room with you…?"

Monika cocked a sly smile at my question.

"What is it exactly you're thinking about right now?"

"Well...I…"

She then grabs my hand, holding tight.

"I didn't mean it like that, I was only teasing you." She giggled. "But don't you want to see how I look in them before buying them?"

Oh. That's what she meant...

"O-Oh, right, sorry…"

After a quick flash of a smile, Monika pulls me toward the changing area of the store.

After picking a stall, she slipped behind the door, but left her head out.

"No peeking~!" She mused, before closing the door.

Meanwhile, I am left alone with only my thoughts and imagination.

While I waited for the young woman to try on the clothes she picked, I decided to kill the time on my phone, checking messages and the lot.

Still nothing.

It's kind of discouraging to make friends when they don't want to keep in contact, even after becoming well acquainted.

As I search through my previously read messages, my eyes can't help but look back at the messages sent by Frank earlier.

He, along with the rest of the internet must be pretty upset over this whole ordeal. Monika is no longer within the game, and everybody's finding out.

Which only made me more uneasy.

...But it got me thinking.

If she's able to cross into this world, then what of the other three girls? Would they be able to free themselves like Monika has?

Surely she can't be the only one to be granted this kind of happiness.

But these were merely thoughts, just passing through my mind.

I have no idea how even Monika came into this world, let alone think it can be applied to the others.

The best I can do right now is try to keep her identity a secret until it all blows over.

It's an internet fad, after all.

"I'm ready, Cecil~"

The sound of Monika's voice pulled me from my thoughts, as I look to the closed door of the changing room stall.

"O-Ok…"

The door slowly creaked open to reveal Monika in her chosen set of clothing. She donned the same striped shirt she held from earlier, but wore it under a thin black coat.

My eyes were glued to the sight before me.

Never have I seem such a transition from a cute, bright girl into such a mature-looking young woman through something as simple as a change of clothing.

"W-Wow…" I stutter in awe.

Her cheeks turn a slight shade of pink from my reaction. "Does...it look okay?"

I nervously nod my head. "Y-Yeah, o-of course! I-It's just...you…"

Monika's already pink face turned a slight shade of red, as a smile formed from her lips.

"Its okay, I'm just glad you like it…" She said, before walking up to me and holding my hand again.

Goddamnit, she looks so much more mature, but she still acts like an innocent schoolgirl!

"O-Of course, i-it looks great on you…"

Suddenly, Monika raised her head to give me a quick peck on the lips. "You're just too sweet, you know that?"

If I could turn anymore bashful and embarrassed, I would have to start living in a cottage in the woods along with six other dwarves.

"S-So, have you come to a decision?"

"Yep! I think I'll get these, along with the others I picked up. I want to show you the others at home."

"O-Ok, whatever you say…" I say before we both head towards the cashier counter.

A young woman stood behind the register, her eyes glued to her phone.

I guess this place doesn't get that much business. Employees on their phones in front of customers? Come on, she doesn't even have a name tag!

We approach the cashier, whose attention pointed away from her phone and onto us.

"Oh, wow, she looks great in those!" The cashier complimented, looking upon Monika's choice of outfit.

"O-Oh, crap! I forgot I needed to take them off first…" Monika stammered, her eyes pointed to the floor.

The cashier waved off Monika's words, smiling. "Its alright, we can still check them out here. You look so nice in it, I almost can't bring myself to see it taken off."

Wait, _**what?**_

"R-Really?" I ask, confused at the cashier words.

"Sure, man!" She chirped. "If I was a guy with a girlfriend like her, I'd want to show her off like that."

Dammit, we're trying to **divert** attention, not **attract** it!

"W-Whatever you say…" I say, dismissing the cashiers words.

Another giggle could be heard from Monika. "I don't mind you being a _little_ proud of me, you know."

"I-I just...don't think women should be shown off like that…you're not trophies, you know..."

"Aww…" The cashier cooed, heartfelt at my previous statement.

"Isn't he just the best?" Monika chirped, before grabbing my arm once again.

"Yeah." The cashier scoffed. "If only MY boyfriend would think the same…"

"Does he not treat you right?"

"Uhm, Mo-...I mean, Anna? I don't think we really need to pry into her business…" I interrupted, attempting to dismiss the situation.

"N-No, its fine, its just...he hasn't really been romantic lately…I feel like he's moving further and further away from me..." the cashier replied, dismissing my words.

"Well, maybe you should take an initiative, then." Monika chirped, smiling.

The cashier fell silent for a moment. "...You...really think so?"

"Of course! If you just wait for him to do everything, then you'll be stuck doing nothing!" Monika replied. "Relationships are two-way streets, are they not?"

The cashier stared at Monika after her hearing her words, then quickly looked down in thought.

"That...might work." She said, crossing her arms in agreement.

"What do you think, Cecil?" Monika asked, looking to me.

"M-Me?"

"Yes, you."

"W-Well...if he's the type of guy I'm thinking he might be, he just...might not know how to show his feelings?" I answer. "How long have you two been going out?"

"Three weeks." the cashier bluntly answered.

"Well then, there's your reason. Just give him some time, but don't leave him alone. That will only make things worse."

"Huh...you really think so?"

"Again, its none of my business, so I don't fully know what to say. Some guys just have a little bit of trouble showing their love. If he really does care about you, then I'm positive he will warm up to you."

"And maybe you'll be a happy couple like us one day!" Monika chimed in.

The cashier looked at us with eyes of realization. "Well...how long have you two been going out?"

 _Two days…_

"Er, almost two months..." I lie as I look to the floor. A quick glance at Monika showed she was stifling a laugh.

"Wow, and you guys are this close?"

"Well, I…"

But before I could come up with an excuse, Monika stepped in for me.

"We figured if we kept the lovey dovey stuff, it would make us closer. And it's been working so far!" She said, holding my arm tighter.

"And...you're happy?" The cashier said, looking at me.

I fell silent for a moment, as I thought of how to reciprocate that question.

"I... I have a beautiful girl that tells me she loves me any chance she can get, and is always trying to win my approval, so of course I'm happy!" I say with a strained voice.

In reality, I can't even think what might be real or not anymore.

"And he keeps amazing me with every day passing…" Monika added to my words, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Wow...I wish I had a relationship like you guys…" The cashier sheepishly said, her voice as somber as her expression.

"Well, with a little effort and showing your feelings, you can be just like us!" Monika assured to the cashier.

"Y-Yeah, just like us…" I say with a heavy heart, knowing my feelings for Monika aren't as true as hers for myself.

"Hopefully...Oh! Shit, I forgot, you still have to check out…" The cashier realized, remembering the entire reason we came here.

"N-No problem, we are sorry to get in any business that wasn't ours…" I say with a guilty tone.

"It's alright, no need to worry. In fact, I think I might have needed this. Thank you both." The cashier smiled at me.

A small smile formed on my face as well. It's always nice to help people with their problems.

After about ten minutes of checking out Monika's new clothes, which were not cheap, we leave the building, waving goodbye to the cashier.

"Funny. We didn't even get her name." Monika realized as we continued down the street.

"If she still works here by the time you can get around town yourself, you might be able to see her. You might even become friends." I reply.

"Oh, I hope... It's gonna be weird to make new friends. But I'm still going to miss Sayori and the other two…" She sadly replied.

And I can't disagree with her on that.

They were her closest friends after all. Even if they weren't real.

"I-I'm sure it will be alright...I'm positive wherever they are, they miss you too." I reply.

Monika reciprocated my words by giving me another loving kiss on my cheek.

"They weren't real...but they were real enough for me. But now, I don't need them." She says, before holding my arm once again, but much more tighter this time.

"I have you, after all."

Those words echoed through my mind, and sank my heart to the deepest depths of my chest.

She gives me nothing but love and compliments, but I can't return the feelings yet.

I'm such a scumbag. I don't deserve her, or anyone like her.

"But, I was kind of disappointed they didn't have much range in terms of dresses…" She added, alleviating the atmosphere.

"O-Oh? Not much you could find?" I ask, my mind pulled from my guilty conscience.

"It's not really that...It's just…" She said, before becoming suddenly silent.

I ask her name in confusion. "Monika?"

"I want you to choose it."

I stop in my tracks, frozen from the shock of her words. "W-What?"

"You heard me. I want you to pick a dress you think will look stunning on me."

"B-But why me?"

Monika gave me a light jab on the cheek with her finger. "Because I want it to be the dress I associate with you! I want one that you like!"

"R...Really?"

"You want to have a pretty girlfriend that wears what you like, right? Can you not imagine me in a dress that makes you speechless just from the thought of it?"

I look to the ground as my thoughts are assailed with images of Monika in an assortment of dresses. Some black, some colored, some frilled, and some plain.

"Well...I guess I'll let you know when I see it then…" I nervously reply, scratching the back of my head.

But I can't help but feel happy.

She wants something that will make _me_ happy and lucky to be with her. How could I not smile at something like that.

"Alright, but I want you to be honest with your choice. Don't just pick something you think will just look pretty." She interjected. "I want to make you the happiest guy on the planet, so don't be afraid to show me what you like."

"B-But...why though?" I ask, before being silenced with Monika's hand on my cheek.

"Because I want to return the favor. You've already made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world."

I stare in complete silence at the emerald pools that were her eyes, my cheeks flaring a shade of pink.

She wants nothing but my happiness.

Dammit Monika, you make being unsure to love you really hard when you say that.

"R...Really…" I stammer, still processing the words I just heard.

"Of course." She says, before planting her lips on mine.

I haven't had much experience with kisses, but I knew for sure hers felt almost stellar.

She releases her lips from mine, smiling. "Now, should we get something to eat?"

"Y-Yeah, sure…" I reply, as we then continued our way down the sidewalk.

I sigh to myself in my mind.

Her words touch my heart in ways I've never felt before. Her hands are so soft, and fit perfectly within mine. Her kisses make my mind and chest so light and free.

I don't know what this feeling might really be, but...

…

...Maybe I'm...falling in love with her after all?


	10. Chapter 9

We continued down the street until Monika excitedly ran forward, leading towards an outside cafe.

"Oh, can we go here?" The young beauty asked.

"Really? Nothing indoors?" I ask, slightly skeptical of her decision.

She then extended her arms, taking in the air around her. "Oh come on, it's a beautiful day out! It's good to enjoy the fresh air!"

I had to admit, it was a very warm day with a brisk wind, indeed.

And at least it wasn't a Starbucks.

"Alright, fine." I reply, following the young woman towards the patio of the restaurant.

After taking our seats, one of the waiters came almost immediately to us, a young man, looking about 19 years old with messy black hair. He greets us with an excited tone, as he brandished a pen to take our order. "Good afternoon, what can I get for the lovely couple?"

"Hmm…" Monika contemplated, looking upon the cafe's menu.

I decide to peruse the selection myself, and could only find different blends of coffee and pastries that go with them. It's a cafe, after all.

"I think I'll have the vegetarian club sandwich, please, with an espresso with cream." Monika replied.

Huh. I forgot she's a vegetarian.

"Very good decision." The waiter complimented as he wrote down her order. "And for you, sir?" He asked, looking at me.

Crap. I was too fixated on Monika, I forgot to decide my own order.

"I-I''ll just take a...uhm...coffee with vanilla?"

"French Vanilla Brew, coming right up!" The waiter chirped, as he wrote down my order.

Phew. Not being a coffee person puts you on the spot with cafe's like this.

"Alright, thank you for your order, I'll be right back with those!" He said to both of us, before taking off back into the building.

Monika then leans on the table with her arms crossed, looking into my eyes.

"So?"

"S-So, what?"

"Are you having fun on our first date?"

I sat silent as the sudden realization came to me. Is this like a date? I wasn't too sure.

"I-Is that what this is?" I croak, only to be met with more giggling from the young beauty.

"Well, two lovers out in town with one another? Sounds like one to me!"

I never thought of it that way. I thoughts dates comprised of dinner, and then whatever event was planned, but merely shopping?

"W-Well then...I'm having a good time...what about you?"

Monika then leaned her head into her hand, as she gave a loving look into my eyes.

"I'm the happiest I've ever been."

Her smile coupled with her eyes made my heart skip a beat, and I try my best to maintain my composure.

"T-That's good to hear…" I nervously reply, looking to the table.

In truth, I may be feeling the happiest I've ever been in a while. Hearing Monika's sweet words always put a smile on my face, even before she transitioned to this world.

I didn't know whether to be happy or dead nervous, for whenever I caught someone passing by, I noticed their eyes were glued to the young woman before me as they passed. It was as if they were looking upon an angel.

But once they had a good look of her, I notice they then pointed their eyes towards me. Looks of disgust, envy, and one that was angry that I was even breathing the same air as her were all I met.

It's almost as if they knew exactly she was completely out of my league, as if I wasn't reminded every time I looked into her eyes.

And who could blame her? She was created to be the perfect girl for anyone, after all.

But here she was, loving me with every breath she took.

"S-So...I-"

"A-Ah! I'm so sorry!"

My words were soon cut short from an outside voice.

Both Monika and I looked towards the source, and could see a female customer had a collision with a male waiter, judging by the coffee spilled on his apron.

"Oh, no worries, it was an accident." He chuckled as he wiped himself with napkins from a nearby table.

"A-Are you sure? I just feel so embarrassed…"

"Again, don't worry about it."

After the commotion settled, the female customer offered to help clean up the mess before taking off.

I could hear a pleasant sigh from Monika.

"That was so cute…" She said, smiling.

I raise an eyebrow at this. "What do you mean?"

She then giggled, as her eyes pointed towards me. "What? You didn't see that adorable meet-cute just now?"

 _...Huh?_

"W-What are you talking about? That was just a simple accident!"

"Oh, you just didn't see the chemistry like I did. They are perfect for eachother!"

"Pfft." I scoffed at this line. "I doubt it."

Her expression dropped from happy to confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, relationships don't...really work like that." I bluntly state.

Monika seemed to take my words to heart, as her smile dropped to a frown.

"But...they…"

I sigh to myself. I really don't want to be the one to say this, given my own circumstances.

"Ok, look. I know that the world you lived in was completely different, but...in the real world, we usually romanticize that concept in order to tell a story."

"What do you mean…?"

My heart sinks to my stomach, as my own guilt starts to lace my words. "W-Well...the concept of people falling immediately in love is almost...well, unrealistic…"

"Un...realistic?" The young beauty's voice shook.

 _Shit. I've upset her…_

Monika sat silent for a moment.

"Well...i-its like I said to that cashier...relationships take time and patience to go through..." I add.

Monika then looked to the ground, staring at her feet.

"I...I see…" She sadly said.

 _Great_. I just ruined the whole day.

"B-But, you know...it doesn't mean it's impossible…"

Her head perked up suddenly.

"In fact...I know some couples that have been together for years, despite the fact they met by pure coincidence."

Her eyes met mine once again.

"So...it's just really uncommon?" She asked.

I shrug my shoulders in return. "Hey, if two people truly love each other, it shouldn't matter how long they've known one another."

Her radiant smile once again returned after hearing my words, as she squeezed my hands tighter than usual. "You're right. It shouldn't matter." She chirped. "All that matters is that I love you with all my heart, and I'm so happy I'm able to receive your love."

And I have no idea to how I deserved it in the first place. But I can't help but feel happy either way.

"G-God, I don't even know what I did to deserve you being here with me…" I say, turning pink at Monika's words.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I really don't know how either...it was just the craziest thing!"

"Y-Yeah…" I say in return.

...Wait.

Now that I think about it, she didn't really seem that surprised that she had transitioned here…

Sure, the noise before screwed with my senses, but I was still conscious. And there wasn't a lot of time between collapsing from the ringing, and having it stop.

Any person would be bewildered through that amount of time, but Monika just came up to me as if...she was expecting to?

"S-Say, Moni-" I quickly silence myself. " _Anna.."_ I whispered, hoping no one heard me. "You know, when we first met, you didn't seem all that surprised to meet me."

"What do you mean?"

"W-Well, from my memory, I heard a noise, it send me to the floor, and after only a few moments, you appear right in front of me out of nowhere. You didn't seem as surprised as me…"

Her eyes widened at this. Seems I caught onto something.

"W-Well...I only remember transporting here, only confused until I saw you...you were on the floor, and I grew more concerned with that...I guess I forgot all about it once I finally got to meet you face to face…"

She...really cared more about me than where she even was?

"I guess I was more happy with being able to meet you that I didn't care about where I was…" she said, brushing her thumb across my hand. "I-I mean...could you really blame me?"

I quickly wave off her words. "N-No! In fact...even when I thought you weren't real...I really wanted you to be happy…"

My words seemed to strike something in Monika, as she turned a light red.

"R-Really? G-Gosh...I don't know what to say…and I don't know how to repay you…"

Good _Christ_ , here's my chance.

"Well, a kiss on the cheek would be suitable?"

…...

 _ **Where the hell did that come from!?**_

Monika's already red face beamed at this, as she smiled brilliantly, rising a eyebrow in a flirty fashion.

"Oh, now you're being the flirt~?" She giggled, before leaning forward to give me said peck on my cheek.

Holy shit, _**how did I do that?**_

I just...felt a surge of confidence and comfort! I felt like I could do anything with her at that moment!

Is...that the kind of confidence she feels with me?

"It's a nice change of pace from your cute, shy demeanor, though."

"W-Well...what can I say? I guess I'm adjusting after all…"

The young woman seemed to hop in her seat after hearing that, as her grip on my hand tightened.

"I'm just so happy to see everything going so well! I can't imagine being any happier right now!"

I can't help but laugh along with Monika for a while. I just love seeing her so happy.

But the moment is soon cut short by the waiter, who I could see approaching from the corner of my eye. In his hands, were two cups, one much larger than the other, and what I can only guess was Monika's sandwich.

"Hello there, I've got a veggie club with an espresso, and a 'Big Joe' with vanilla?"

"Yes, that's us!" Monika chirped, taking her attention away from me.

The waiter smiled in return, as he gave us our order, giving Monika her sandwich and espresso.

Meanwhile, he places in front if me a mug of coffee so large, it looked about twice the size of my fist. I'm almost intimidated by the sheer size of it.

" _Big Joe"? Is that really what they call these monstrous cups of coffee?_

"J-Jesus, who needs this amount in one sitting?" I nervously chuckle in awe at the size of the cup.

"Is there a problem? That's usually the default size."

"N-No, I've just never been to this place before…"

"Ohhh, alright. It's intimidating, isn't it?"

I chuckle in return. "Well, I guess I might as well run a marathon afterwards." I joke, receiving a laugh from both Monika and the waiter. After our giggles, the waiter left us alone to ourselves to enjoy our orders.

We spend about a half-hour enjoying said orders, then promptly leave after paying.

After sipping down a coffee that size, I felt like I could sprint around town twice. I could feel a slight buzz in the back of my head, and my fingers were starting to tingle.

"Are you alright?" Monika asked, aware of my jittering hands.

"Y-Yeah, I guess I've just never had this much caffeine at once…" I reply as we walk down the sidewalk. "I feel like I could kill an elephant with my bare hands."

"Not really a coffee drinker, are you?"

"I mostly rely on soda and junk for energy…"

"Well, it's a good thing I'm here, then."

"Oh?"

"Well, I can't stand idly by as you slowly kill yourself like that."

I sigh to myself in despair. As if I didn't already know my lifestyle was shit.

"You know what? I'm gonna cook you something healthy tonight." Monika chirped, smiling.

My eyes widen at this. Of everything I knew Monika was capable of, I never thought she would know her way around a kitchen. That's the kind of hobby we all would expect Natsuki would have more.

"W-Wait, you know how to cook?"

Monika looked at me as if I asked the stupidest question ever.

"Of course I do. What kind of girl do you take me for?"

"U-Uhm...well...I..." I stammer, before I am stopped by Monika's finger on my lips.

"It's alright, I'm not offended. If anything, this might be a chance to show you what I'm capable of!"

I can't help but smile at the sheer positivity radiating from the young beauty. She seems to think of everything as an opportunity for something. It's a hell of a better mindset than most of the people on this planet.

"In fact, I think I see a grocery shop over there. Think we can stop by there?"

Well, I'm gonna need groceries to feed two people now, so why not?

"S-Sure…" I reply before Monika giggles and leans her head on my shoulder.

After about a few more minutes of walking, we arrive at said grocery shop, and as soon as Monika entered, she immediately ran off to the grocery area, with me following after.

Come to think of it, I think I've been to this place before. Yeah, I think I got a gallon of milk here once.

I follow her towards the produce area, which is riddled with the different bright and vibrant colors of fruit and vegetables on display.

"Wow, this store has such fresh produce!" Monika said, excited over the brightly colored vegetables before her. "I'm thinking a healthy, simple dinner tonight."

I suddenly remember her vegetarian way of life, and my bones shake in fear.

" _Please_ tell me you're gonna add at least a little bit of meat…"

"Oh calm down, I won't exclude it." She giggled. "I'm not gonna force you to stop eating meat, you know."

"I just love it too much to give it up like that." I shrugged. "But, it doesn't mean I don't see why people choose to not."

The young woman lips curled into a sweet smile. "I'm happy enough you at least understand."

"I could say the same to you too." I reply, chuckling. It's not everyday that a vegetarian accepts a meat eater like that.

After a giggle in return, Monika returned her attention to the produce in front of her. Her eyes caught a large, healthy head of lettuce, almost as if it was calling out to her. "I think wraps would sound great tonight. What do you think?" She asked as she lifted the vegetable.

"I'm not really picky, I'll usually eat anything as long as it's edible." I reply.

"Good to hear!" She chirped, before bagging the head of lettuce.

For the next ten minutes, we walked through the isles, gathering the ingredients for Monika's dinner proposal. We should have grabbed a basket, because everything from the tortillas to the cuts of meat for myself piled in my arms as we shopped.

Once we checked out with our groceries, we walked downward the way she and I came from back towards my car, but not without more of the stares and looks of other passerby's.

But for some reason, they never got to me, as I would feel instantly relief whenever I looked upon the loving young woman. I think I'm starting to appreciate her in my life after all.

But while we were on the drive back towards home, while Monika was excitedly humming to herself, my mind was filled with a whirlpool of thoughts.

This young woman, within the span of two days, has done nothing but wish for my happiness, love, and health, while I grew skeptical over the cause of the entire ordeal. She changed my mind completely from this morning within the span of an afternoon.

Am I being too untrusting? Have I become so close minded and focused on reality that I can't accept what is currently making me the happiest I've been in a long time?

I've always considered myself a man of the world, aware of the line between fact and fiction. It's not a beautiful reality, but it's the one we are living in. It's not like we can live in another one, after all.

Could my problems and stresses disappear if I were to remove Monika from my life? Probably. But I have already accepted responsibility for her, so I can't turn my back on her now.

...But…

It shouldn't excuse the fact that she mistreated the rest of the girls in the club, causing two of them to commit suicide. She just wrote them off as fake, imaginary characters, so she holds no regret.

But if Monika is real, then that would mean the other three would have to be as well, right? After all, once she disappeared for the duration of Act 4, the role of club president was passed to Sayori, who _also_ became sentient. The role of club president is suspected to be met with autonomy, whoever possesses the title.

Plus, she tore the entire game apart so badly to the point she could only make a single room.

All….because she loves me.

…...

...Maybe…

...Maybe I should just accept what's given to me, instead of questioning the reason.

Sure, she's done some bad things in her life...er, well, _consciousness_ , but if she's as alive and human as she is now, she's no different than anyone else who made a bad decision.

And history is filled with those people. Myself included.

But so far, I feel like it's the wrong decision to not accept what is essentially a god-given gift. Perhaps I am making a mistake after all.

I should tell her my true feelings tonight. I need to tell her my fears and skeptics over her entire reasoning for her appearing in my life.

Besides, if nothing has happened to the others within the confines of the game, they should be fine for now. It only makes sense Monika would be completely missing.

Because she's sitting right in my car, smiles and all.

I look to her, her eyes pointing towards me. I am met with another one of those adorable smiles.

My heart feels heavy. Like it would sink me to the bottom of the ocean.

It's not going to be easy to tell her my feelings on the whole situation, but it's better than keeping them to myself. She's giving everything she can to me, so it's the least I can do.

Plus, if everything goes well…

….I might just tell her I'm in love with her.


	11. Chapter 10

My hands started to sweat.

My legs shook to the bone.

My mind swirled into a vortex of doubt and fear.

...And we had only just gotten back home.

Finally home after a nerve-wracking car drive, Monika skipped back inside, carrying one of the several shopping bags we had with her, while I carried the rest.

Almost instantly, Stevie rushed out of the bedroom to greet us, crying out with loud meows.

"Stevie! I haven't seen you since last night!" Monika chirped as she picked up my disabled-but-fully-able pet.

He instantly ate up the attention she was giving him, pushing his head into her hands as she stroked his fur.

"Ahh...it's nice to be back home after a fun afternoon like that." She sighed in relief, dropping herself straight onto the couch with Stevie in her lap.

Meanwhile, I struggle to keep all the bags in my grasp as I walk towards the kitchen. I place the bags down on the counter, taking in a breath of relief.

While Monika remained relaxing on the couch, I lean over said counter, resting my arms on such.

 _Just what the hell am I going to tell her?_

" _Sorry Monika, I wasn't in love with you like you were me, but I am now!"?_

I mean, she could not mind at all, and just be happy I'm being honest with her. That way, I wouldn't have anything to worry about.

...But considering the amount of time she spent trapped in the game, she might not respond too gently. Any human mind would have crumbled after time, considering what she went through.

God, I wish I wasn't so scared of her as much as I am in love with her.

But I have to tell her everything on my mind. Otherwise, it just might eat at me from the inside. She's been so good to me, I feel like it would be an injustice.

But... _when_ should I tell her?

Suddenly, the blind puffball Stevie jumped onto the countertop, as if he could sense my anxiety. I sigh as I scratch behind his ears, which seemed to be his mission the entire time. "I'm sure you would have the answer if you could talk, big guy."

"Answer to what?"

My legs give out in pure shock at the reply to my question, as I look immediately behind myself to see the young woman looking at me. "O-Oh, hey...didn't see you there."

"Oh, I'm sorry if I scared you. But what do you mean 'The answer'?"

Shit. Really in a tight spot here.

"U-Uhm…"

 _Quick Cecil, think fast!_

"O-On...what kind of wraps we'll be having tonight?"

Her questioning face soon turned into another happy look, as she flashed a coy smile with an eyebrow raised. "Don't worry, you'll get to put in whatever you want. I won't make you something you don't want for our first dinner together." She said, crossing her arms.

"A-Ah, that's good to hear…" I mutter as I turn myself around.

Dammit, I could just tell her now and get this over with. I don't think I can take any more of this anxiety.

But. _.._ _ **what would she say**_ _?_

While my mind spiraled with all the different outcomes with my confession, I could feel a pair of arms wrap around my chest. The sensation made me jump a few inches into the air, prompting an adorable giggle from behind.

"What are you doing here by yourself, anyway? Don't you want to join me on the couch?" Monika's sweet voice offered, my legs reduced to jelly from her touch.

"Y-Yeah, I was just a little lost in thought…" I say, prompting Monika to release me. I turn myself to the young beauty, who offered and held my hand, guiding me back into the living room.

While following after her by hand, her long auburn brown hair dragged behind her in the air as she walked, almost forcing me to stop for the scent of my shampoo mixed with her hair.

She prompted me to sit first. Once I did, she made herself comfortable right next to me, leaning herself on me while holding my arm.

I couldn't feel happier about the current situation, despite the fact my hands were shaking to the bone.

"S-So what do you want to do now?" I nervously ask, trying to get sensation of her breath on my shoulder out of my thoughts.

"I'm fine with whatever, as long as I get to hold you like this~" She replied with a pleased sigh.

 _Dammit, Monika... you're just too good for me._

"W-Well, we could see what's on?" I say, raising the television remote in view of her vision.

"Sound good to me!" She chirped, nuzzling her face back into my arm.

I flip on the television, and find it was left on a comedy channel, comprising of adult humor and raunchy animations that sane human beings would find appalling.

But for some reason, Monika didn't mind the immature attempts at humor. In fact, there were a few dirty jokes she found near hilarious.

My heart twinged at the sound of her laughter. So hearty, yet so pure. I'm surprised a girl like her finds these childish shows even the slightest bit humorous.

Meanwhile, I allowed my mind to wrestle with itself once again, as I grip onto my pants in frustration.

How the hell do you properly tell someone you love them?

Why is it so easy for her?

It could be that I don't have any real experience with these kinds of situations, but _neither has she_!

"Cecil? Are you okay?"

My mind snaps to the girl before me, who had a worried look on her face as she looked at me.

"Y-Yeah, sorry about that…"

She raised an eyebrow. "You've been spacing out ever since we left the grocery store. Is something on your mind?"

"Just, uh, thinking to myself…"

"About what?"

"...About you. I mean, I _literally_ can't get you out of my mind right now…"

My words seemed to hit a string in her heart, as Monika's face turned a dark shade of red. I could practically see steam leaking from her ears.

"R-R-Really?" She asked, a hopeful look in her eyes.

Well, it wasn't a _complete_ lie.

"Y-Yeah, if course…" I timidly reply, prompting the young beauty's face to flare even further.

 _Ok, guess I'm off to a good start…_

Suddenly, I am brought down by force to laying on the couch by Monika, who hovered above me.

"H-Hey!" I exclaim, bewildered by Monika's aggressive action. But my words are soon cut by the sheer look Monika gave me.

She was looking at me like I was the greatest thing to ever happen to anyone. Her cheeks remained a crimson red, all the while looking into my eyes.

It honestly made my heart skip a little.

"Words...can't describe how much I love you right now." She whispered, her eyes almost in tears.

My eyes widen at the sound of these simple words. She's been telling me she loves me ever since she came into this world, but this time, I could feel my own cheeks turning red.

"Monika."

"Y….Yes?"

My hand found itself cupped around her soft cheek, which she nuzzled said cheek within my palm.

"I...I need to tell you something tonight. Something that's been on my mind ever since you came here yesterday."

Her eyes widen once more after hearing my words. "R...Really?"

"Y...Yes…" I stammer. "If we are going to be together like this...then I want to be wholly honest with you."

I expected a feared look upon her face once I explain my reasoning, but I am surprised by her once again.

She was _smiling._

"If that's so, I guess I'm working my way into your heart after all!"

 _Oh, my dear sweet Monika, you have no idea._

"But...I just don't know when to tell you…"

"How about after dinner?"

I look into her eyes. "A-Are you sure?"

"Of course. It'll give you some time to think about what you want to say." She says as she gives me a soft kiss on my forehead.

I'm really starting to wonder if it's possible to murder someone with kindness.

"O...Okay…" I sigh, a surge of guilt running through my chest. I could just tell her right now, but I'd probably just get the words jumbled.

She said she would wait for me to figure out what to say, so I feel slightly relieved. She really knows how to pluck at my heartstrings.

But now, I have some time to think of the proper words to say, so I should make them count.

While my mind swirled in my ever deepened pool of thought, Monika rests herself, laying across me. She nuzzled her face into my neck, allowing my chin to rest on her head, and kept a loving grip on me.

"I can hear your heartbeat." She quietly said. "What you have to say must be important, because it sounds like it's going to pop right out your chest."

She was too correct. My heart was beating so fast I could hear it in my head.

Her face nuzzled into the left side of my chest, while she rested her free hand along my collarbone.

"But just hearing your heartbeat is enough to make me happy…"

I remain silent at these words. I couldn't think of anything to say.

I don't know if she's ever had any kind of human interaction, but her actions tell a different story.

Being trapped in that space so long.

Being the only one with rational thought.

It really must have been maddening for her.

But none of that should matter anymore. Because I'm going to give her the love and care she's been wishing for the whole time.

And nothing's going to stop me.

While I came to a resolve about my feelings, Monika suddenly sat upright, straddling me.

"Well, I should go get started on dinner. You figure out what you want to say in the meantime."

I nervously nod in agreement, only to have Monika's finger poking my nose.

"I love you~" She cutely mused.

I reply after blinking from Monika's statement. "I...I love you too."

...Wow.

It feels really good to say that without any doubt in my mind.

Her already smiling face somehow turned even more radiant. "It's just...the best thing in the world, hearing those words from you." She says before leaning over to rest her forehead against mine, cupping my face within her slender hands.

...Maybe this won't be so hard after all.

Monika shortly releases me, but not before giving a loving peck on my lips. She lifts herself off of both the couch and myself.

"I'll call you when dinners done~" Monika mused as she blew me a kiss before disappearing around the corner.

….

….

….

 _Good god, this is the best thing ever._

I take a few moments to recollect myself after the most intimate moment I've think I've had with her, let alone any woman. Christ, I can hear my heartbeat.

I sit upright, remaining seated. My head drops backwards into the couch, allowing my neck to rest from all the instinctive tensing.

 _Just how the hell do I tell her what's on my mind when she's so happy?_

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see my game controller sitting on the coffee table.

 _Maybe some Oblivion would calm my nerves._

I extend my arm and grab hold of the controller, pushing a button. A single beep could be heard from my television stand, as the television automatically switched channels to the console.

After a few minutes of button presses and menu selections, I dive back into The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion after about a week of playing it.

Sure, Skyrim is considered one of, if not _the_ best game in the series, but Oblivion always has a place in my gaming heart.

That doesn't mean I didn't play the hell out of Skyrim though. Oh, God, did I play it.

I find myself in where my previous save was, just outside of Bruma. By this time, I had already done a majority of the main and side quests, do I was really just poking around, looking for whatever to do.

Hm. Maybe I should just start a new character.

I always play as a Breton, so maybe I could start new as an Orc, or _maybe,_ a High Elf.

"Ohhh, what game is this?"

I jump practically three feet in the air from the sudden surprise of Monika's voice.

My head turns to her direction, and I could see her standing byb the couch, watching the television as I played. She donned a cute, white apron, with spots and splotches of green showing she was previously handling vegetables.

"O-Oh, h-hey…I-I thought you were working on dinner?" I timidly say, embarrassed over the game I was playing.

 _She probably thinks I'm such a nerd…_

"I just wanted to see what you do when I'm not around." She giggled, smiling at my reaction. "This game looks interesting, what's it about?"

"O-Oh, it's just Oblivion...nothing really too exciting. Typical medieval setting like almost any fantasy lands with kingdoms and such…"

"Ahh, so this is 'Oblivion'. You had this game on your computer for so long." She recalls, taking a seat along with me.

Ah. Right.

She knows about everything on my computer. No big deal.

"You even played this before you played mine."

...Wow. She has a really good memory.

"Maybe you could show me how to play eventually?"

"Well, you don't just 'play' an Elder Scrolls game. They're open enough to make your own story within." I reply, my gamer mind sparking.

"Ohh, I see."

Monika then lifted herself from the couch, and over towards me. "Well, dinners done!" She said, before offering her hand. "I hope you're happy with what I prepared."

I nervously take her hand, my body reducing to mush from the feeling of her soft hand. I could feel my cheeks flaring from all the excitement.

"A-Alright…" I nervously mutter. "C-Can't wait…"

After another radiant smile, she walked me around the corner into the kitchen.

There, on the counter, laid various plates of prepared and sliced vegetables, including one for tortillas. My mouth waters at the scent of the cooked meat, which garnered a small giggle from the young woman.

"God, that smells so good…" I say with saliva built in my mouth.

"Well, grab whatever you want and dig in!"

I walk forward to inspect the ingredients myself.

All perfectly cut, cooked, and portioned.

"I hope I cooked the meat just right. Try a piece." Monika offered, picking up a fork and sticking on the end a perfectly browned strip of beef on the end.

My cheeks turn a slight red, as I reluctantly take the small morsel in my mouth.

And _**holy fuck**_ was it good!

It was cooked perfectly; not too red, and not too chewy! This is the kind of quality one would find in a gourmet restaurant!

"Well? How is it?" She asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.

"I'm almost in tears…" I say, savoring the extraordinarily prepared meat.

She made just about the cutest smile I had seen after hearing my opinion.

"I'm so happy you like it!" She said, slightly celebrating with herself.

The meat slides down my throat as I swallow. Good Lord, if she makes food like this everyday, _any_ man would be happy.

I immediately dig into the other ingredients, making myself some hefty leafy wraps. Even though I don't usually eat like this, I still feel pretty proud to have such prepared the way it is.

And it's all thanks to her.

We deplete almost the entire stock of prepared ingredients into only half a dozen wraps, and enjoy our said meals back in the living room.

Each bite into my meal kept me coming for more, one after the other. I never knew something so healthy would taste so good!

All the while we eat, I occasionally caught glances with Monika, who I could only guess was hoping that I remained satisfied throughout the course of dinner.

Needless to say, she's had my approval the entire time.

I stuff the last remaining bite of my last wrap into my mouth, and lay back as I savored my last bite.

The young woman then leaned towards me, looking into my eyes. "Well, how were they?"

"God, that had to be the best meal I've had in a long time!" I exclaim.

She then leaned her face closer to mine, closing her eyes.

"Do I get a kiss as a reward?" She mused.

I don't know whether to feel happy or embarrassed, but I still leaned over, and honored her request.

A small squee could be heard from the young beauty, as she wrapped her arms around my neck, resting herself on me.

I can't help but return the embrace, taking in her warmth. It felt so good to hold her like this, I almost never want to let go.

She then released me, still holding onto my arm.

"So. What did you want to tell me?"

... **Shit.**

"O-Oh, uhm.." I stammer, unable to find the words. "W-Well, I…"

Monika then took my hand into hers, causing me to go silent.

"Its alright. Just breathe."

I look into the ever deep pools that were her eyes, as my mind finally came to a decision.

I'm going to tell her I love her. Right now.

I take in a deep, deep breaths, before taking Monika's small hand.

"I…" I start, already choking on my words. "When...you came into this world yesterday…"

"Yes?"

I gulp down the saliva stored in my throat.

"I...wasn't entirely sure about you." I say. "You came out of my computer out of nowhere, and I didn't know what to think."

"R...Really?"

"How could I? Phenomena like that is usually within the walls of fiction." I reply. "I didn't know what was going to happen. I grew more scared than happy…"

Monika nodded her head, allowing me to continue.

I reached into my pocket, pulling out my phone. "Everyone knows you're not in the game anymore." I say, navigating through my phone to those sane comments and headlines I saw earlier today.

She took the phone from my hand, examining the wildfires around her disappearance. What confused me was that she was just looking at it like it didn't really even mean anything to her!

"Well...this shouldn't matter anyway." She replied, returning my phone. "I'm here now, I have a new name, and no one has recognized me yet, even when we were in public."

"That's...another thing." I say, rubbing the back of my neck. "While we were out, everyone was just staring at us. They looked at you like you were some divine creature, while I was looked at like one would with a pile of garbage lying in the street."

"Did..Did they really?"

I scoffed at her obliviousness. "How could you not notice? You're practically perfect in every way, of _course_ you were gonna catch some glances." I let my hands hang over my legs, and drop my head. "Its like they know you're out of my league…"

After speaking my pitiful realization, I am met with a jab to my cheek, much to my surprise. "Don't speak like that. If they want to treat you like that, then they shouldn't matter to us at all. They're just jealous of you." The auburn-haired girl said with a stern tone.

"Really…?" I weakly ask.

"It sure sounds like it." She said, before grabbing hold of my hand. "But...do you enjoy being around me?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Well...if you do, then let them be jealous. If you want to feel proud, you're fully allowed." She said before leaning towards me, resting her head on my shoulder. "I only want you to be happy, so you don't need to worry about what they think of you when you're with me."

I blink in surprise at her words. "Do...Do you really mean that?"

"Of course, silly. You saved my life after all." She replied, smiling at me.

I look to the floor, then back into her eyes."By...accidentally setting you free?"

"Not just that." She said, gliding her finger over my hand.

"Then...for what reason?"

Monika then raised her arms, pulling me into a passionate and loving kiss, before releasing me and leaning her forehead on mine.

"By giving me your love in return."

I sit in silence at Monika's words.

Do I...really mean that much to her?

God, now I feel like an asshole for not fully returning the favor.

...Speaking about that...

"I...have another confession to make." I mutter. "When you confessed to me, I think I was too bewildered by the fact you asked me in the first place, only realizing later I gave a half-hearted answer…"

The young woman tilts her head in confusion."What… do you mean?"

"Like I said...I grew more scared of you rather than being happy you're here. The thought of what could happen to us terrified me, so I couldn't decide whether you being here was good for me or not…" I reply, frowning. "But I guess I was pretty unfair, giving you lies like that while you bore your soul to me all day…"

Monika looked to the floor like she did earlier today, her eyes growing distant. "So...you don't fully love me yet…?" She sighs. "And after I thought I tried so hard with dinner…"

I frantically wave my arms, dismissing her comment. "N-No, No! It was perfect!" I exclaim. "In fact...uhm…"

Monika's ears perked at my words, and she raises her head, our eyes locking with one another.

 _Come on Cecil, just say it!_

"I'm...um…"

 _Say it, God dammit, say it!_

 _ **She's looking right at you, say it for God's sake!**_

Unable to find exactly what to say, I cup my hands around her soft, red cheeks, and I do what I consider unthinkable for myself.

Actions can speak louder than words, after all.

I leaned in, and tightly locked my lips with her myself. Of all the kisses we shared, this one was one I prompted myself, instead of her.

And **damn** , did it feel good.

She was taken surprise by this, as shown by a small yelp from her, muffled through our lips.

Once I released her, she had the most surprised look I've seen her make, which made me chuckle inside my head.

"What...What was…"

I think I broke her with that one kiss.

Her face turned the reddest I has ever seen it blush. She was completely speechless.

"Before, I wasn't certain what I wanted...but after today, I know for sure what I want." I chuckle. "I...I want you in my life after all."

Looking into her eyes, I could see tears welling. "W...What are you trying to say, Cecil?" She weakly asked.

I caress her cheek with my thumb.

"Pretty much what I said to you before. Only now, I mean it with all my heart."

She raises a hand, and caresses the hands on her cheeks.

"What...What was that?"

I chuckle. "You're really gonna make me say it, aren't you?" I take in one more breath before I pour my soul towards her.

"I...I love you, Monika."

…

…

…

...There.

I finally said it.

I look to the frazzled beauty before me. And much to my surprise, her eyes started to well with tears even more so.

"That's...That's…" She stuttered, her words shaking.

In that moment, she dove towards me, locking her lips with mine once again, only this time she was much more aggressive.

She pushes me down to the couch again, sitting on top of me while holding my face in her slender hands.

I could feel her tongue slide past my lips, and dance around mine. It doesn't take long for me to return the gesture, though.

I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her close to me. Small moans could be heard from her as she enjoyed whatever part of me she could.

After a few moments of the most passionate kiss I have ever had, she releases her lips from mine. The reality of it all hit me hard, as I was left speechless after.

It was so intense, our lips were both completely soaked with saliva.

"That's ...what I wanted to hear from you this whole time." She states.

I raise an eyebrow at this. "To...hear that I love you?"

She gives a cute giggle, before laying herself on top of me once again. "To hear that you _truly_ and _honestly_ love me."

I am left completely wordless once again by the young woman's pure and heartwarming words. If that's what she wanted to hear, then I'd be more than obliged to saying more.

"You make me the happiest I've ever been...I...I love you…" She says, tightening her embrace around me.

I let my head lay back and stare at the ceiling, as I realize this has to just about be the happiest moment in my life.

"I love you too."


	12. A Message

He's so wonderful.

He's shy, reclusive, and a little insecure, but the effect he can have on you is magical.

To be loved by him would be a wondrous thing, as his heart is vast and his love is plentiful, once you crack through that shyness.

Taking in a stranger, providing shelter and food for someone who just appeared out of nowhere like that, all while giving as much love and kindness as he can give.

Though he needs to work on his confidence, his humbleness and compassion make up for that. He would rather think for the people around him than for himself.

He's just a perfect gentleman. People would kill for a person like him in their lives.

I wish there were more like him. Maybe everyone would get along just a bit better.

...The only problem is _**her.**_

She doesn't deserve him. She doesn't deserve his love. She doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air as him.

Not after what's she's done.

But he's so kind and compassionate, he sees past the atrocities she's done, and offered his heart to her. He may see the "good" in her, but he is merely blinded by that fake smile and her sweet words.

I love that he thinks that way about people, though. There needs to be more trusting and open-minded people like him.

I love him so much. I would give up the entire world, just to hold him like _**she**_ does.

I mean, _I_ should be the one his arms are wrapped around!

Not _**her**_!

...

...But it's okay. I'm not too bothered by it.

Because I'm going to show him everything she's done.

I'm going to show him just how much of a monster she is, and he will _**despise**_ her. If he's a good person, he will have almost no choice but to hate her.

He thinks he knows of her sins, but she's done so much more than he knows.

He may be happy with his little "girlfriend" right now, but he's going to have to face the truth about her sooner or later.

The only way I'll come to regret this is for the sole fact his happy little vision of her will have to be shattered. If he is the way I think he is, its going to destroy him.

The truth will be hard for him, but this is for his own good.

And once he realizes the truth, he will be _**mine**_. I'll be there when he sees what's truly within that soulless demon of a girl. _ **.**_

...Why?

Because I love him.

I don't want to see him giving his heart to someone who doesn't deserve it. I'm _not_ going to let that witch have her way with him.

I'm sorry, my sweet Cecil. I love you, and would never want to do anything that would hurt you.

But you leave me with no choice.


	13. Chapter 11

Mondays.

The bane of existence to a nine-to-fiver.

They incorporate a creeping realization that the world isn't all fun and games, and that we must eventually return to our duties as servants of the public.

Money is such important asset to an adult in our world. It keeps us fed, sheltered, and sometimes entertained. But, it can also be used as a tool to control and manipulate people.

Why am I talking about this all of a sudden?

Because it makes me feel better about having to return to my own job.

I work at a small programming company that caters to the digital needs of other businesses in my small hometown. Examples of which are websites, computer care products, and software for whatever they need.

Usually me and my group clean up bugs and glitches on those websites, and test them before they go live on the internet. For example, they, being the programmers, provide us a rough draft of the website, and we "proofread" it.

Basically, our jobs are to clean up after them.

It's not the most exciting job, but it keeps food on the table. And with Monika and I being an official couple now, I needed to work more than ever.

My weekend with her finally came to a close the next day, as I sat at my desk, surrounded by my peers.

My group consists of myself and three other men, all around the same ages. As co-workers, we have to share a small, cramped cubicle fitted with a large table we all use as a collective desk. We split the work evenly, though usually myself and another person fixes the mistakes we make.

I stare grudgingly at the empty computer screen in front of me.

I don't want to be here. I don't even want to be _near_ here. I just want to sit at home with Monika all day.

I mean, why would anyone want to sit in a cramped office wearing tight and uncomfortable business clothes, but still earn less money than someone who only does a quarter of the work?

 _It. Sucks_.

I see one of my group members out of the corner of my eye approaching me. "Hey, Cecil, did you fix that glitch on that bakery website?" I hear, recognizing the voice.

"Yeah, I did. You'd think the main programmers would be able to tell when they're missing the right command."

I turn to the young man before me, known as Chris to the office. He is a tall, naturally blonde-haired man that I have known for more than a few months now.

He looks at me apathetically with his big blue eyes. "Yeah. But if they were perfect, we'd be out of a job."

I shrug in defeated agreement, remaining silent.

"But you'd think they'd be on the watch for them, being the ones that type the pages themselves." Another voice came from the other side of the desk.

We look over towards Ethan, a long, black-haired young man, adjusting his glasses. "We might as well be coding the damned things ourselves."

I chuckled before I replied. "We'd get paid a hell of a lot more than we do now."

"Oh, come on guys, it's not _that_ bad." A final new voice said from behind another side of the table.

The last to be introduced of my group was Tobias, or Toby for short.

He was a slightly wider man with very dirty in color scraggly blonde hair, and was the youngest of our group.

"Really. Is that what you think?" Ethan asked in a sarcastic tone.

Toby nodded. "Yeah. It's a simple job for people of our experience, and we get paid more than a good amount of people in this office."

"And who would those people be, huh? The janitors?"

"Ethan, calm down. There's no point bitching and moaning if the job you have pays you. You want to be a coder? Then grow a pair and go to Ellie yourself."

A chill ran down Ethan's spine after hearing those words. "Negotiate with the 'Ice Queen'? No thanks."

The individual these two speak of is our Manager, who keeps us busy with jobs and whatever she may need.

The reason they react so coldly is because-

" **OWENS! GET IN HERE!"**

 _..._ because she's loud and mean as all hell.

Typical office manager trope, realized in human form.

"Oooh, boss lady's calling." Chris teases, prompting immature giggles from my other co-workers.

I rise from my seat in a defeated fashion, dragging my feet down the office space until I reach the second private office space on the left.

I peek my head into the small office.

"Yes, ma'am?"

The young, dark scarlet-red haired woman sitting in the desk is none other than Ellie, the "wicked witch" type manager our office is stuck with. Despite the hair and her age, she is quite mature, and does her job well, but she's more known for being a hardass throughout the office.

"Plant your ass, Owens. I've gotta talk to you."

A silent groan leaves my lips, as I enter the office, closing the door behind me.

Would you believe me if I said I graduated in the same class as this woman?

Yeah, that's right. We spent the last seven or so years in school, not talking or knowing each other at all because of high school cliques, and then somehow ended up in the same office space as one another years later.

Except she has power and authority over me.

Though, it's not too dissimilar than when we were in high school.

I plant myself into the chair facing Ellie's desk, readying myself for whatever insults may come my way.

I also look to the tall shelf behind her, the one that looking slightly off than the rest. She still hasn't fixed that?

"I see you haven't gotten that shelf fixed. It looks like it's about to topple over you." I chuckle, attempting my best to ease the tension in the room.

"That's none of your concern. It's fine the way it is." Ellie sharply replied.

I roll my eyes in annoyance. She never listens to me, let alone want to hear a joke from me. "So, what do you need me for, ma'am?" I ask.

"Oh, you know, just looking over the mess that is the page you just submitted this morning. How long did it take you? Thirty, forty five minutes?" She asked with a sour tone, not moving her attention from her computer.

"Two hours, ma'am."

"Oh, you took _too_ long, that's the problem." She said in a mocking tone. "There's still a few bugs, and some links lead to errors."

I raise an eyebrow in suspicion. "You're...talking about the one from the bakery, right?"

Ellie freezes in realization, as she returns her eyes to the screen.

"Oh. This one is Ethan's." She said, her eyes wide as dinner plates.

That's just the funny thing about her. She's so frantic and serious about her work, she sometimes loses track of where she's going.

But is she still going to blame me?

"Well, you should have gone over it before he submitted it."

 _Yep_.

I sink my head into my hand, my fingers prodded against my forehead in frustration. "I need to ask, why is it that I'm the first person you go to scream at whenever someone in my group screws up?"

My words are soon cut short from Ellie dropping a stack of papers on the desk, causing a loud thud.

"You're the best performing of your group, so I think you should be more responsible for them."

"But that makes no sense! Why would-"

" **Owens…** "

The sour growl coming from the woman before me immediately shut me up, as a cold wave surged my back.

" **I** _ **said,**_ **you should be more responsible.** "

…

You ever have those times you just want to scream at someone, but you don't, because you're aware of the consequences?

Because I feel like tossing the chair I'm sitting in out the window.

I take a deep breath to clear up the frustration and anger within me.

"Alright. Fine." I hiss with an annoyed tone. "I'll keep a closer eye on them."

A triumphant breath left Ellie's nose, accepting my submission.

"Good. That's all I wanted to talk about. You're dismissed."

"Dismissed". Like we're in the goddamned military.

I resist the small urge to violently tear apart the office space, as I leave the office with gritted teeth.

Great. I have to yet again take responsibility for someone else's faults.

I walk until I reach my workspace, plopping my ass into my seat.

"So? What was she yelling about now?" Chris asks, the rest of my group gathering around me like high school girls.

"Well, because _Ethan_ fucked up, I have to take more responsibility for our group's future fuck-ups." I say, darting my eyes at the guilty party of the group.

"Dude, seriously? Why does she always find ways to blame you?" Ethan asked.

Toby replies with an offended tone. "Don't even say that, _you're_ the reason he just got a bigger workload."

Ethan had to have made the most nonchalantly apologizing shrug I've ever seen. "Look, I'm sorry. But it should be all better after I present some news to you and Toby."

I raise an eyebrow with a flat face at these words. "And what could that be?"

The slender young man chuckled to himself, as if we were simple fools for asking.

"Because I got you losers dates."

...

... _Huh?_

"What the hell are you talking about now?" I ask, suspicious of this idiot's words.

After making an evil little giggle to himself, he slammed his hand onto the desk. "Exactly that. My sister arranged for a mixer this thursday. And I'm taking you assholes with me."

I grew completely silent at these words. His _sister_ arranged a mixer for us?

"And...your _ **sister**_ _,_ set it up." I asked.

"Yes, sir. She says it could finally be a way for me to get a girlfriend, and that I can bring two others." He replied. "With Chris being the only one married, I thought I'd let you loners tag along."

I wish I could wipe that smug look off his face.

But I didn't know what to think. Ethan thought I would be happier about his mistakes currently ruining my life with this?

I already have Monika, so this is a useless offer to me.

"R-Really? Hell yeah!" Toby excitedly announced.

"That's the spirit, Tobs." Ethan smiled. "What about you, 'Cecy'?"

"First of all, don't call me 'Cecy'. Second of all, Your offer has no use to me, so I'm not happier about you fucking up." I retorted.

Ethan widened his eyes and furrowed his brow.

"'Useless'? What the hell does that mean?"

I cross my arms in annoyance. "I don't have any reason to go to this mixer of yours."

"...Wh...What?" Ethan asked, shocked by my answer.

The same reaction seemed to apply to the other two as well. Both Chris and Toby kept their surprised eyes on me as much as Ethan.

"So...does that mean…"

 _Ah, shit._

"Jesus, man, When where you going to tell us you were seeing someone?" Toby happily exclaimed, patting my back in congratulations.

"You mean you have a girlfriend and you didn't tell us the moment you saw us!?" Ethan barked, his words more sad-sounding than intimidating.

"W-Why would I need to tell you!?"

"Because she probably has hot friends!" Ethan replied, screaming. "We never thought that you of all people would have the balls to ask a girl out like that!"

I sink my head into my hands in frustration at the reactions of my coworkers. It's like they had no faith in me whatsoever!

Chris chuckled at our little spat. "Well, I think it's good you found yourself a girl. In fact, I think I see a little more color in your cheeks since Friday."

Well, at least Chris isn't making a big deal out of it.

"So then, what's she like? She pretty?" Toby asked.

"Is she hot?" Ethan added.

"Guys, come on, this isn't the time to talk about this…"

"Yeah, exactly." Chris defended. "It shouldn't matter how she looks. If Cecil is happy with her, then that's it."

"Well, _**sorry**_." Ethan rebutted. "Can we be blamed for being jealous if the least likely guy to get a girlfriend in our group suddenly found one?"

"Well, it's just that….wait, what do you mean, 'least likely to get a girlfriend in the group'?" I ask, my tone changing once I realized his words.

"Dude, I've been to your house. It's the Anti-Poon of apartments."

"Nrr…" I groan. "Well, she happens to love that I have _passions_."

"A passion for gaming. Yeah, just gets her _soaked,_ huh?-Gah!" Ethan replied, only to be met with a wadded up ball of paper hitting his face.

The ball came from Chris, who eyes focused on the black-haired man with annoyance. "Ethan, shut the hell up. We all know you're acting jealous."

"That's because _**I am**_!" Ethan exclaimed, banging his hand on our collective desk.

Chris rolled his eyes at the immaturity of the group troublemaker. "Ignore him, Cecil." He said to me. "But, how long have you two been together?"

Thank God, a question having to do with the relationship rather than _her._

...But, was it two or three weeks we agreed would be the story?

"A...couple of weeks now." I answer, only to be met with more surprised looks.

"So you mean to say you've been dating her for weeks, and you _never told us_!?" Ethan exclaimed, only to receive another paper ball to the face.

"Ignoring Ethan's attitude, it's surprising you kept it from us this whole time." Chris said.

"Well, I knew you guys would freak out about it!"

"But you act like we aren't happy with it, dude." Toby added.

" **Thank you**!" Ethan exclaimed, agreeing with Toby's words. "Of course we're happy for you, man! It's just hard seeing the other man receiving when you get _nothing_!"

"Alright! _Alright!_ I get it! If she has any friends, I'll try and talk to her about hooking you guys up if the mixer doesn't work out well. And trust me, _**it isn't going to work out well**_." I exclaim, attempting to appease the ball of hormones and jealousy before me.

"I don't need a- wait, are you serious?" Ethan asked, stopping his words over mine.

"Yeah, sure, if it gets you to stop hating me over a girl, dude."

Ethan suddenly went immediately docile, adjusting his glasses and sitting straight. "Alright, I have no reason to argue then. Also, I'm sorry I fucked up earlier."

" _Thank you..._ " I say, stressing my words.

"But, we have to ask, what does she look like?" Toby asked.

Oh no.

"Yeah, you should at least have a photo or two, right? Any social media she's on?" Chris asked.

 **Oh no.**

The question for an image of Monika perplexed me. If I were to show a picture of her, there's a chance they might recognize her!

...But, if she was able to fool Frank, who was an avid player of the game, then there's a chance they might not know who she even is.

"Well...I do have _one_ picture...we took it last night, and is really the only one we have together." I answer, pulling out my phone from my pocket.

I unlock the screen, and go through the phone until I reach the photo gallery.

There resided one picture of myself and Monika. It features us simply smiling at the camera, with her taking the picture.

She thought the picture would fit well with the night of my confession, much to my dismay. I was never good with photos, I can never find a good face to put on.

I show the picture of Monika and I to Chris, hoping to God he didn't recognize her.

My fears were realized when his eyes lit like christmas lights.

"J-Jesus Christ, she's ...gorgeous!" Chris, the _**married man**_ _,_ interjected.

I take a silent breath of relief.

Immediately, Ethan and Toby dove in our direction to look at the photo as well.

"Dayyyumm, bro! You got game after all!" Toby added, slapping my back in congratulations once again.

"Ok, how the hell did you manage to get her? What, paid her like, three-hundred dollars?" Ethan skeptically asked.

"What can I say? She just kinda...popped out of nowhere." I reply, even though it couldn't be more true.

"Well, I'm happy for you, man." Chris complimented. "I knew a good girl would pull you from your pit."

"Er…'pit'?"

"The last I saw you, you looked about ready to drown out your sorrows with drain cleaner. Now, you look like there's something in your life worth living for."

Huh. Haven't thought about it that way.

"Well, there's no doubt I've been the happiest I've been in a while…" I chuckle.

"What's her name?" Toby asked.

"Er…Anna." I hesitantly reply.

"Ooh, cute name!" Chris chuckled. "Looks like you really lucked out on this one."

"Oh, trust me, I already-"

" _ **Boys."**_

The sudden growl sends a chill down the spines of the collective group, everyone scared straight.

Shit. It's _her._

"What exactly is going on here?" Ellie asks, looking over the men before her.

Ethan was the first to speak. "W-We were just...talking."

All the confidence from earlier seemed to shrivel in the presence of our office overlord.

"During work hours?"

"Well, we were done so far and-"

"So you decided to goof around."

"...N-No, ma'am…"

Jesus Christ, he looks like he's about to cry.

"What are you all doing anyway?" Ellie asks with a sharp, harsh tone.

After a brief moment of silence, Chris was next to speak. "C-Cecil here was just showing us his new girlfriend, and we kinda...gathered around like little girls, I guess…"

Much to our surprise, Ellie was taken aback by that answer.

"...New girlfriend?" She asks in a flat, unconvinced tone. Ugh, even _she_ doesn't think I can get a date!

"Y-Yeah, uh, we thought the same thing, until he showed us a picture of her…" Chris replied.

"Oh, then you won't mind then." Ellie barked, as she swiped my phone from his hand, having a look at Monika herself.

Toby's reaction was more intense than mine, as I remained silent to avoid a confrontation with her.

"H-Hey, you can't-!"

" **Shut it, Tobias.** "

The poor Toby immediately clamped his lips together.

A few moments pass with Ellie looking over the picture of Monika and myself. The strange thing was, her expression loosened from angry to almost one of confusion.

Her arm flew in front of me, my phone in her hand.

"Cecil. Office. _**Now**_ _._ " Were her only words before handing me back my phone.

"N-Now?"

The confirmation of her words took the form of her departing from the company of our group. Meanwhile, I rise from my seat, unsure of Ellie's request.

"Ugh, what the hell does she want now?" Ethan whispered.

"I don't know, but...I don't really have a choice, do I?"I reply, before taking my leave back to the office room.

I enter, and close the door behind me like earlier, only Ellie was standing in front of her own desk.

"So...what did you want now?"

Remaining silent, Ellie quickly closed the distance between us, taking me by surprise.

Her eyes scanned anything and everything, and she seemed to get more frustrated and confused as she looked at me.

"What are you-"

"Don't talk. Just look at me." She growled, prompting me to clamp shut my mouth.

After a few moments of examining me, Ellie seemed to "hmph" to herself in frustration.

"I just...don't get it." She said, looking into my eyes.

Just what the hell is she on about this time? Why is she just staring at me?

Suddenly, a loud pop noise shot from behind Ellie, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see that botched shelf starting to tip over.

And it's going to topple onto her!

"Shit!" I exclaim, pushing Ellie out of my way to catch the falling shelf.

And _**damn**_ was it heavy! Whatever she had on this shelf, I could feel them slightly starting to slide off, including one small plaque that hit the back of my neck.

But I could see Ellie staring at me, eyes widened to the size if dinner plates as I struggle to keep the toppling shelf from destroying her desk.

"What are you just standing there for!? Help me or go get someone!" I growl with a strained tone, struggling to keep the falling shelf up.

She seemed to have snapped back to reality, and immediately came to my aid in supporting the toppling piece of furniture.

"Ok, just hold it up, and...There!" I say, placing the broken leg back into place.

We both let go of the shelf, and both sigh in relief that it was stable.

My eyes quickly furrow, and dart directly at the woman before me.

"I **told** you the fucking thing was broken. If I wasn't here, it would have crushed you!" I angrily barked to Ellie. "Honestly, if you cared about your own space rather than mine and my group's, then you wouldn't have been endangered like that!"

But as I look into Ellie's shocked eyes, I started to realize what I've done.

I just _yelled_ at her!

 _Her! The overlord of the office!_

"I-I'm sorry I raised my voice, I just-"

"N-No, no, don't say that...you warned me after all…"

...Did…

...Did she just admit I was _right_?

"U-Uhm, sorry, I don't think I heard you right…" I weakly ask in confusion and disbelief.

"What do you mean? You said it would fall, now I have to eat my words."

"W-Well, it's just you usually... _don't_ do that?"

My statement seemed to offend her a bit. Don't know why though.

"W-What's that supposed to mean?"

"I-It's nothing, I'm just glad you didn't get hurt." I chuckle as I bring a hand to the sore back of my neck.

"A-Are you ok?" Ellie asked, confusing me even more.

Now she cares about my well being? What about before, when she chewed my ass?

"Yeah, I think something on the shelf hit me back there."

"Let me look at it."

Ok, that does it. What the hell has gotten into her?

"H-Huh? What's with you being all gentle all of a sudden?"

Ellie fell completely silent for a moment. I guess she doesn't even know either. "I'm just concerned for my injured worker, alright?"

Bullshit. I had hot coffee spilled on me one time, and she _laughed_ at that.

"Nrr, fine." I say, admitting defeat.

Since I was stood taller than her, I had to crouch down to her level, and turned myself around.

"So, just right here?" I hear, as I suddenly feel her start to massage the back of my neck.

"A little higher...a little-Oh, there we go, right there…" I say, as the relaxation from Ellie's massage immediately flooded my muscles.

...You know, usually I would be wondering why my witch of a manager is all of a sudden rubbing my neck. But, as of the incident with Monika, I've learned to accept what's given to me.

"Oh, uh, what did you want to talk to me about again?"

Suddenly, I feel her hands move to my shoulders, which weren't even sore.

And _**damn**_ ,was she going to town on them.

"U-Uh, my shoulders are fine…" I look behind me, only to see Ellie snap out of some sort of trance.

"O-Oh, sorry…" She apologizes, releasing me. "A-And for the reason I brought you in here…"

I raise an eyebrow in anticipation. What could be her reason?"

"...I-Its nothing, sorry I spent your time."

Huh? So she just brought me in here for no reason?

"Uhm, well...okay then, I'll just get back to work then…" I state, as I start to take my leave.

But once I turned, I felt something tug at my shirt, stopping my movement. I turn to see it was Ellie of all people who stopped me.

"U-Uh...something wrong?" I ask, confused with Ellie's sudden need for my attention.

She seemed to be choking on her words though, as she kept rather silent.

"Thank...Thank you for catching the shelf like that. You warned me it could hurt me, and it almost did, if not for you." She replied. "I...also want to say I'm sorry for earlier…"

Either hell just froze over, or Monika spiked my coffee this morning, because I could swear the tyrant overlord of our office department was _apologizing_ to me!

And why is she acting so bashful and shy!?

"Oh, uh, not a problem." I chuckled at the statement made by her, but I remained skeptical. "Just, you know, make sure your priorities are straight." I say, as I start to walk towards the door. I could feel her eyes glued to me as I walked back towards my work area.

My mind swirled into an array of thoughts and fears.

Just why the hell was she acting so soft and nice all of a sudden? And why did it start once she saw the picture of Monika?

These thoughts clouded my mind until I returned to my desk, in which my coworkers gather around me again.

"So...what did she want you for now?" Toby asked, being the first to speak.

I almost think I shouldn't tell them, in fear of their reaction being worse than mine.

"She…er... just stared at me for a while." I reply. "Then, the shelf behind her finally fell, but I caught it in time. She even...uh, gave me a neck massage for it."

If their jaws could drop to the floor, they would break through to the ground level of our building.

"She...did what again? I-I don't think I heard you correctly…" Ethan weakly asked, attempting to process the words given to him.

"I'm telling you, she stared at me, the shelf fell, we fixed it, and she gave me a neck massage because something hit the back of my neck."

"Dude, that's so... _weird_!" Chris exclaimed.

"You're telling me." I scoff. "Look, can we just forget about this? It's already been a hell of a day, I don't want to get into all of it right now…"

Chris shrugged at my words. "Well, alright then... It's still weird though."

"Trust me, I know."

* * *

Hours pass, and so ends the work day for me. I limp my exhausted body to my car, keys in hand.

"Hey, Cecil!"

I turn my head to see Ellie, of all people, catching up to me.

But, wait…Did she just call me by my first name? She only usually uses my last name…

"Uh, yeah?" I ask, feeling a small spark of dread in my spine.

Once she caught up to me, she went silent for a moment, before looking up at me.

"I just...wanted to say thanks for your hard work today. You handle everything so well."

Is…

Is she _thanking me_!?

"Ok, Ellie, what's gotten into you today? You spend the morning yelling and screaming, but now you've turned so docile towards me. What's going on?"

A small flinch from her indicated I was into something.

"Let's...just say I've become aware of how much of a hard-working man you are. And I figured I'd show my appreciation for you, one way or another." She replied with a slight guilty look on her face. "And considering how I am in the office, it took stones to call me out like you did earlier."

I let the air out of my lungs apathetically before speaking."Well, I _told_ you it would eventually fall. I'm just glad you weren't hurt."

After hearing my words, Ellie seemed to smile at my concern for her.

"Well...I'm just glad to see there's someone here who cares about others like you do, even if I do nothing but scream and yell at you." She replied.

I find myself smiling at Ellie's compliment, even if it was pretty subtle.

"O-Oh, sorry, I shouldn't keep you here. You should be getting home to your...girlfriend." She said, looking to the ground.

"Oh, uh, alright then. See you tomorrow?" I ask, smiling.

"Yeah...see you tomorrow." She replied, smiling in return.

Once we parted ways, I start on my way back home, going through the same route I always take back home.

You know, it feels nice to be appreciated. But, never have I thought I would receive it from _her_ of all people. It may be strange and out of nowhere, but I guess I can digress a bit.

After about a half hour of driving, and finding my designated parking spot taken _again_ , I finally make it home.

I open the door, only to see a cute, smiling face before me.

"Welcome home, darling!" Monika chirped, as she immediately coiled her arms around my neck, giving me a loving peck on my lips.

All of a sudden, all the stresses and exhausting aspects about today melted from my mind. Just one kiss from her can make a tiring day worth all the work.

"Good to be back." I say with a big smile across my face, as I embrace her in return.

God, it feels so good having her in my life, in person, even.

Today, she donned a different shirt of mine, but decided to pair it with the skirt from her school uniform.

"Well, I was just about to get started on dinner tonight. I chose yesterday's meal, so you get to choose it tonight." She said.

"Am I gonna be limited because of your vegetarianism?"

"Cecil, come on, of course not. I'm not gonna make you not eat whatever you want just because I don't want to."

Ugh, I love her so much. She's always taking my opinions into account for her choices.

"Well, how about we have a look in the pantry and see where we can go from there?" I offered, which Monika's ears perked up at.

"Oooh, maybe you can help make it with me! That's sounds so fun!" She happily exclaimed, causing me to chuckle to myself.

She gets so cute when she's excited.

Once she released me from her grasp, she offered her hand to me, and led me to the kitchen, the scent of her coral brown hair permeating my senses.

But as soon as I step inside, something from the room was causing a weird buzzing sound in the back of my head.

Monika looks through the pantry at all the different ingredients and food stuff I've had in there for a while. "Mmm...maybe we can make a pasta dish tonight?" She chimed, keeping her eyes in front of her.

Meanwhile, whatever is making that buzzing sound was really starting to get to me. "Huh? Oh, uh, sure."

"'Sure'? Come on, give me an actual opinion."

"S-Sorry, it does sound great." I reply, holding onto my head. "Hey, do you hear that buzzing sound?"

"Sound?What sound?" She asks, turning to me.

"Y-Yeah, there's a buzzing, and...I think its it's getting louder…"

True to my word, the ringing increased in volume, reaching to the point where I can't even think straight.

"C-Cecil? Are you okay?" Monika asks, her face turning completely from happy to worrisome.

But I'm not able to reply, as the sound kept growing and growing until the point my head feels like it's going to crack open.

I fall to the floor, trying my best to cover my ears to mask out the sound, while Monika starts to panic over my reaction.

"W-What's going on!? Cecil!?" She exclaims in fear, bending down to hold me in her arms to comfort me.

My slight groans slowly turned into agonized grunts, as I endure the hell going through my mind.

"C-Cecil, please, say something!" She begged while I wallowed in my pain.

But only after a few moments, the grating, mind-numbing sound stops, and my mind starts to clear and relax from the torture.

I lay still within Monika's arms, staring at the ceiling.

"Cecil, answer me, what was that!?" Monika demanded, looking into my eyes.

"That sound...it was…"

It was the same buzzing sound that messed with my head when Monika came into this world.

But if it was the same sound… then…

I immediately rise from the ground, surprising Monika. "H-Hey, what are you doing?" She asks.

I stop and turn to her, looking into the green gemstones that were her eyes.

"It was the same buzzing...from when you crossed over." I state, replying to her question.

After a small moment of thought, Monika rose from the floor as well, following behind me.

I walk over towards my bedroom door, a rising fear in my heart.

Could...could it be?

I grab a hold of the doorknob, before looking over at Monika, who was watching everything I did.

After we both nodded in affirmation, I turn back to the door and slowly start to turn the knob. Once it was loose, I slowly push open the door, looking into the room behind it.

And there, my fears were realized, as I saw a girl lying on my bedroom floor, unconscious.

She wore a familiar school uniform, and had a head of short, coral pink hair, with a large red bow on top to the left of her head.

My eyes and jaw widen in shock and bewilderment at the sight before me.

I know exactly who it is.

"C-Cecil? What is it?" Monika fearfully asked, shocked at my reaction.

I take a few moments to fully digest the situation before me, and I finally speak:

"It's...Sayori."

Q

 **Some of you may be wondering about the sudden change in tone from the previous chapters.**

 **I was originally going to end this fic with Cecil realizing his love for Monika, with a big confession at the end.**

 **But halfway through, I realized that's not fair. The others deserve just about as much thought about them just as much as Monika does.**

 **I want to make drama, conflict, and one's love for another tested in this fic.**

 **After all, falling in love can be easy.**

 **Its** _ **staying**_ **in love that's the hard part.**


	14. Chapter 12

I couldn't believe it.

 **The protagonist's best friend was lying on my bedroom floor!**

While my mind wrestled with itself on how this could even be possible, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread for what was to come.

Another adorable, fictional young woman just popped into our reality from my computer.

Once I told Monika, her eyes went wider than I had ever seen.

"S...Sayori? She's...here?"

"S-See for yourself…" I weakly reply, opening the door for Monika to see.

Once her eyes laid upon the unconscious, or heaven forbid, dead girl lying within the walls of our home, she shared in my shock and awe.

Hesitantly, I slowly step towards Sayori, unsure whether what was in front of my eyes was even real.

"Uh...S-Sayori?"

Suddenly, the coral pink haired girl twitched her head, her face tightening into an uncomfortable state.

"Christ, shes alive!" I exclaim, crouching down to her level. "Monika, she-"

My words are cut in half as I look upon the rather peculiar look on my girlfriend's face.

Rather than a happy, hopeful face, Monika looked upon the lying girl with a furrowed brow and clenched teeth. Her dagger-like eyes looked like they could cut through even iron.

 _What the hell kind of face is that!?_

"U-Uh, Monika?"

All of a sudden, a small moan could be heard from the pink-haired girl, which garnered my attention.

Then, slowly but surely, her eyes started to open, blinking to adjust to the light illuminating the room. Once they were fully open, the half-asleep Sayori surveyed her surroundings quizzically.

As soon as they fell upon my face, however, her eyes shot wide open, visible shock and fear within them.

"Uwahh!" She screamed, before frantically scrambling away from me. Just like me, she hit the back of her head against the wall while doing so.

It would have been almost funny, if not for the fact she was completely bewildered and terrified of the situation.

"W-Whoa, hey, are you alright?" I raise my hands in an attempt to calm the frantic pinkette.

"W-Who are you!? A-And where am I!?" She asked with a frightened and confused tone.

In that moment, I had just realized I had never heard the sound of Sayori's voice. The only girl who had a semblance of one was Monika, reserved only for her song at the end of the game.

The funny thing was it sounded exactly like I thought it would. Cute, high-pitched, and completely fitting with her character.

"S-Sayori, please, just-"

"H-How do you know my name!? What's going on!?"

Christ, she had to be the most terrified I have ever seen in a person! I couldn't figure out what to do _at all_!

"M-Monika, help me out here!" I plead, looking back at the young woman behind me.

The pinkette's head turned away from me, fixated on Monika. "M...Monika? Is that you?" Her voice had calmed at the sight of a familiar friend.

Her expression softened since last I looked upon her, the club president then slowly approached the frightened girl. "Y...Yes, Sayori." She said, her words soft and assuring.

"W-What's going on? Where are we, and...who is this man?" She asks.

Monika opened her mouth to speak, but no words could be heard. Instead, she bit her lip, unsure of what to answer back with.

"There's...a lot to explain…" She said, looking down to the floor. "...But I think introductions are in order, first."

She walks to my side, prompting me to stand to my feet. "This man's name is Cecil." She introduced, while wrapping her arm around mine.

"And he's my boyfriend."

Sayori's face dropped into a look realization and embarrassment. "Y-Your...boyfriend?"

"Yes, he is. And this is his home."

"B-But...where exactly are we? I-It doesn't feel like... _anything_ I know…"

"Er, well…" I stammer. "To make a long story short, uhm...you were created for a video game, and...have now crossed into the real world?"

"I _what!?"_ Sayori exclaimed, rising to her feet, not knowing her sudden ascension crashed her head into the bottom of my desk.

"H-Hey, easy there!" I say, scooching myself towards the keeled-over girl, who held her head in pain.

I offer a hand to her. "Are you okay?"

She seemed hesitant at first, but slowly, the frightened young woman took my hand, which I used to help her to her feet.

"Sayori, I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but we will explain everything in the other room." Monika stated. "Cecil?"

I nod in confirmation, and guide Sayori out of the room, into the living area by hand.

Suddenly, I see that her clumsiness is apparently true to her name, as she tripped on her own feet. Luckily, I was able to catch her before she fell to the floor.

"W-Whoa, are you okay?"

"Y-Yes, thank you…"

I look back towards Monika, who was just watching over us, looking angrier than before.

Knowing the risky situation I was in, I quickly helped Sayori to her feet, and offer her a seat onto the couch.

"I'll, er...go get us some drinks." I say, thinking of whatever I can do to make her comfortable. "Did you want anything specific?"

After a shy shake of her head, I take a defeated sigh.

"Tea it is then."

While I made my way to the kitchen, my mind went back to its usual overclocked state as I prepared more of the Earl Grey tea leftover from Saturday.

I still couldn't believe it!

She actually crossed over into this world, just like I had thought!

She's finally free from that digital hellscape, and can live her life liberated from her doomed fate!

...But...

If she's able to cross over along with Monika, does that mean Natsuki and Yuri can as well?

And... if what I know about Sayori is true…

 _Will I have to fear for her taking her own life?_

And just what the hell kind of face was Monika making once we discovered her?

It's almost as if she was angered by her sudden appearance-

"You're awfully calm about all this."

The sudden flat voice me jolted me out of my thoughts, as I looked behind my shoulder to see Monika standing, arms crossed in the doorway.

"W-What does that mean?" I weakly ask.

"You freaked out when I first came here, like I was some kind of monster that crawled out of your computer screen." Her voice was stern, confronting, almost. "You're treating her like a lost puppy."

"H-Huh? _That's_ why you're upset?"

"Oh, don't you give me that!" Monika exclaimed, walking up to me to close the distance between us.

"M-Monika, I don't understand why you're so upset. I thought you'd be happy…" I timidly croak.

"I-I am, it's just…!" Monika snapped, before stopping herself. "It's just concerning, alright?"

" _Now_ you're worried? Sheesh, where was this skepticism yesterday?" I ask in an exasperated tone. "Look, I don't know how it happened either, but right now, Sayori needs to be taken care of. She's confused, scared, and has no idea what's going on."

"I know, I know, it's just…" Monika stammered, unable to find the words to say. "I had to ease you into accepting me, and now you're caring for _her_ as if you're an expert on all this."

I raise an eyebrow in suspicion.

Is she _jealous?_

"Monika, are you...worried shes going to take me from you?"

My words hit her hard, as she flinches in at the sudden, sharp turn with my words.

 _Bullseye._

Her cheeks flare a bright red as she puffs her face into a pout. "W-W-What? W-Where did that-"

I raise a hand, cupping her soft, tender cheek within my palm. Her pouting face relaxed into a more calm, collected look at my touch.

"I'm not _that_ dense, you know."

Her eyes widen in realization, before slowly relaxing. She knew I had her pinned.

"I-Its just...she…"

I cock a sly smile. "You don't have to worry about anything." I say, pulling her close to me. "I'm not going to leave you a day after confessing, after all."

Her emerald eyes look within mine.

"How...are you being so calm and collected right now?" She asks.

I take a moment to make an exasperated laugh at her incorrect choice of words.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, my mind is still twisting at how you two even got here." I reply. "But, I do know that we need to be supporting of our new guest."

Monika seemed indecisive at my request. "I'm still worried, though…a-about how the people playing the game will react, at least..."

I can't help but sigh at her words. "I know you are. I am too." I explain. "But all we can do right now is help her while shes adjusting."

Holding the serving tray of piping hot mugs of tea, I look over to the young woman with me in the room.

"...But, you have to tell her, you know."

Monika's head perks up at my words.

"T-Tell her what?"

A sigh leaves my lips as I turn to face her.

" **You have to tell her what you did to her and the others**."

Monika freezes solid at my words, her expression dropping to a sad frown.

I look into the young woman's somber, emerald eyes. "You can't have ' _they weren't real_ ' as your excuse anymore. The proof is currently sitting in our living room."

No words of clever rebuttal came from the young maiden this time. She's absolutely _speechless_.

I take a sympathetic sigh at Monika's conflicted expression. "I know it will be hard, and will take time…" I say, my words a tad softer. "But you'll have to do this eventually."

My words seemed to upset Monika, as she suddenly turns away from me, her eyes dropping to the floor.

"...But...how can I tell her something like that?"

She raises her head, bringing her hands together.

"How do you tell your good friend they _suffered_ because of you?"

I shrug my shoulders in return. "I.. don't think I can answer that for you."

Seeing Monika clueless and clouded with guilt tugged at my heartstrings, but she had to realize it sooner or later.

"Look, you don't have to do it now, but you have to in time."

I walk over towards the guilt-ridden girl, placing the tray of mugs onto the counter. I wrap my arms around her waist, resting my head on her right shoulder.

"It's alright. I know you can do it."

My bold action seemed to calm Monika, as she lowers her arms to lovingly hold onto my wrists.

"What did I do to get a man like you…"

My girlfriend's flattering words cause my face to flare in flattery. "Same reason I get to have you." I chuckled.

She turns her head to give a loving peck on my cheek, as I release her from my grasp.

I reach over and grab the tray of fresh mugs of tea. "Shall we go welcome her into the world?" I say, extending my elbow to her.

Luckily, she knew my signal, and wrapped her hands around the base of my forearm.

"I guess I'm having an effect on your confidence after all, huh?" She says, looking from the floor to me. "You were a stuttering mess when we first met."

"No one else really can but you." I smile, as Monika's face flushed into a red, embarrassed mess.

But she's not completely wrong.

Ever since yesterday, I really havebeen feeling more confident in myself.

My friends think I'm some sort of smooth-talking stud for having a girlfriend as beautiful and loving as Monika, and I finally garnered respect from my tyrannical manager after two years of slogging through other people's mistakes for her.

And I've been as happy as a clown ever since I told Monika my true feelings.

Why wouldn't I be confident? I'm getting more respect and love than I think I've ever had in my life!

And it's all thanks to the wonderful girl holding my arm right now.

Counting my blessings, I walk out of the room, with Monika following after. She kept her grip on my arm; even until we reached the living room, where a confused Sayori sat, observant of the room around her.

"It might not taste that well, I usually don't make tea...but, would you want one?" I ask, taking a mug and offering it to the girl.

Sayori seemed hesitant to take the beverage offered to her, but seemed much more willing once she got a whiff of its scent. "T-Thank you…" She thanked, which I couldn't help but cop a small smile at.

It's great to see she still has manners, even when stuck in a situation where she's lost and clueless.

I sit on the couch across from her, joined shortly by Monika.

"Ok, there's a lot to explain…" I quickly chimed in, in an attempt for Sayori to become more calm. "But, there's one big thing we need to get out of the way, first."

"O-Ok, u-uhm...Cecil, was it?" she asked, in which I nodded in return.

I take a deep breath before finding the words to say.

"Alright...oh christ, where to begin…" I say.

 **Just how the hell do you tell someone their entire life is a lie, meant for the entertainment of others**?

"You know your life of being a schoolgirl, going to club with Monika and the others, right?"

"R-Right, but how do you know that?"

"That's… the harder part to understand." I reply, scratching the back of my neck. "What you know about your life, your home, most of the people you know...are all fake."

Sayori's blue eyes grew to the size of golfballs at my words. "F...Fake?"

"Y-Yes, Sayori…" Monika said, tagging in to the conversation. "Our lives at school, blissfully attending school and going to our club, are nothing more than a game for the people here."

Sayori placed her tea down, a small thud resonating from the cup. "W-What does that mean!?"

"How do I say it…" Monika started. "The world we know is nothing more than a video game to Cecil here, and everyone in this world. And for whatever reason, we have crossed into this reality, which is the true one."

The situation seemed to hit Sayori all at once, at the girl squirmed and scrunched herself in confusion.

"Y-You're saying our lives at home are...all a lie? and that..this is the real world…?" She asked.

I sigh in a small fit of despair for her. "I'm sorry to say, but yes. This is the real world, where our world was constructed. Whatever you know about your life was constructed for the sake of a story."

"B-But that can't be! What about Natsuki and Yuri? Are they lies as well?"

"I don't know if we can answer that right now, but…" I reply, unable to find the right words to say.

I bring a hand to my head, thinking of whatever I could say.

"Ok, look. Do you know anything about your childhood friend?"

The mere mention of the Protagonist catches her attention, her head raising to return my gaze. "Huh? Of course I do!"

I raise an eyebrow. "Then...what's his name?"

"Oh, that's easy. It's…" She says before stopping. "Its...Its…" She narrows her eyes, trying to dig as much into her mind as she could to recall the Protagonist.

But, of course she wouldn't know his real name.

He's meant to be a faceless character representing who was really playing the game, after all. If there was any name attached to him, it would be the name of those who saw the world through his eyes.

She brought her hands to her head in frustration and confusion. "W...Why can't I remember!?"

"Because he's not real, Sayori." Monika intervened. "Whatever you may know about him was reflected from Cecil's actions."

"W-What does that mean!? Then who was the one I walked home with after school everyday!? Who was the one that joined the Literature Club from my recommendation!?"

Figuring actions speak louder than words, I slowly raise my hand. "That...was me." I weakly answer. "Though, not all actions were mine."

Sayori looked at me with her big blue eyes in a confused manner. "Y...You?"

"Your childhood friend was nothing more than a soulless husk, allowing players like Cecil here to project themselves into the game." Monika explained, taking a sip from her tea. "Whatever you know about him... was Cecil the whole time."

God damn. I think you can let it on her just a tad bit easier.

"E-Easy, Monika. I'll just show her." I slip my hand into my pocket, pulling out my phone.

I search for any kind of official artwork of the game, knowing Monika would still be absent from them.

I'm able to find a substantial amount of fanart and illustrations of her and the other girls, and handed my phone to her.

"Though it came out last year, your game still has quite the cult following. Some still argue over which of you is the better girl." I explain.

As Sayori browsed and looked through all of the pictures and drawings, she returns my phone with a conflicted face.

"I...its...gosh, it's just so much to take in…" I hear her mutter. "I-I feel like I'm in a dream I can't wake up from…"

"I know, but it will be alright soon." I say, flipping through more of the art myself. "I mean, well have to let...you...adjust…"

The sudden change in tone to a weak croak for my voice was due to one piece of official art I found.

I look towards Monika with fearful eyes."Monika, I need a word with you real quick."

"Huh? Why can't you say it-"

" **Now** ,Monika."

Confused at my sudden request, she joins me in excluding ourselves from Sayori, away from earshot.

She approaches me with a quizzical look on her face. "What's wrong?"

I pull out my phone, showing her the exact problem.

On my phone, laid one of the official banner artworks for the game.

 **With Sayori missing as well.**

"S-Sayori...s-shes…"

"Gone...just like you said." I flatly say.

The reason for my tone was I knew the fact that news of Sayori's disappearance would go about as well as when they found out Monika was missing.

Great. Just when I thought everything was figured out.

"What are we going to do?" Monika asks.

"I-I don't know, she's a lot harder to hide. People could recognize her hair or personality from anywhere."

"Should we find a different place for her to stay?"

"N-No, we can't. Too risky. We'll just have to lay low until this blows over."

"But when will that be?"

"I don't know, alright!?" I hiss back, scaring Monika. But before I know it, I am suddenly embraced by her, who dug her face into my chest.

"Calm down, please…" She said, almost as if she was begging.

My heart fell into my stomach at the reaction my anger caused her.

She's just about as clueless as I am, after all.

"I-I'm sorry, I just-"

"Its okay."

Monika raised her head from my chest to look at me.

"We can get through this."

I quietly nod at Monikas words, which she replied by giving another peck on my cheek.

"I love you."

I feel my heart leap out of my chest at the sweet and loving words from my girlfriend.

"I-I...love you too…"

She releases me from her grasp, and holds my hand within hers.

"Shall we return to our new-but-good friend?"

"Y-Yeah, sure…"

After a radiant smile from my answer, the young beauty guides me back to the living room.

Once we turned the corner, I notice Stevie sitting on Sayori's lap, again indulging in the attention she was giving him. She had a sad, but calmed and satisfied look on her face while she brushed the blind cat's untamed fur.

Monika and I both share a small chuckle at the sight.

"Quite the ladies man, isn't he?" I joke, Sayori's attention pointing to us.

"H-He's really fluffy and friendly…" She timidly replied. "How long have his eyes been like this?"

"Heh, he's been like that ever since I first found him at the pound. Stole my heart in an instant." I say as Monika and I take our seats.

"I-I see…" Sayori says, her expression warming up a bit.

"Isn't he wonderful?" Monika brags, grabbing my arm.

"W-Who, me or the cat?" I stutter.

Monika nuzzles her nose into my neck affectionately. "Both of you, silly."

My face flares instantly at Monika's cute and flattering words. Even so much so, even Sayori couldn't help but giggle at my embarrassment.

"You two seem really close...how long have you been together?"

My face runs a pale white at the sudden question.

"E-Er...three days now?"

The eyes on the pinkette turn wide and surprised at my answer.

"O-Oh, uh...I see…" She says, her expression unchanging.

I knew that she thought it was strange.

Hell, _I_ thought it was strange.

To break the awkward silence, I stand from my seat. "I-I think I'm gonna walk to the gas station real quick for...uhm, snacks and whatnot. A-Anyone want anything?"

Monika tilted her head in confusion. "Oh, should I come with you?"

"A-Ah, it's okay, I can go by myself." I reply, waving my hand.

Sayori looks up to me, hesitant to get a word out. "E-Erm…"

My ear perks at the maiden's fidgeting. "Hm? You say something, Sayori?"

"I-I was just wondering if...I could come with you…?"

My eyes widen at the young maiden's request. "Uh, a-are you sure? I mean, I would decide against it, but...I don't want to force you or anything…"

Sayori dismissively shakes her head. "...I just...need some fresh air to take everything in…" She replied. "And it would give me a chance to see where I guess I'll be living now…"

Huh. That's...actually a good point.

"O-Oh, uh, sure thing then." I reply.

I look towards Monika, who had her arms crossed.

"So, anything you wanted us to pick up?"

" _ **No. I'll be alright.**_ "

A chill ran down my spine at the sudden hostility from the young woman.

"H-Huh? A-Are you-"

Monika stands from her seat beside me, her face turning into an instant smile towards Sayori. "Let's go get you a new outfit, Sayori. You're too noticeable in that."

"H-Huh? D-Do we need to be kept a secret?"

"For the most part. Here, I'll explain it in the room." Monika replied as Sayori followed after her into my bedroom.

Meanwhile, I'm left alone with the chilling thought about the reaction Monika gave me.

What the living hell was **that** about? Why would she seem so upset over me wanting to help Sayori?

I thought she'd be more happy at the sudden situation…

I sink myself back into my couch, my stress getting the better of me.

Just how could I have ended up in this mess?

I was just enjoying my weekend, until two beautiful and cute young women from a _video game_ appear into my life.

It's like my life turned into a corny slice-of-life manga in a few days.

But, I really shouldn't be feeling so scared and skeptical right now. After all, I have Monika trying her best for my affection, and Sayori liberation alone is cause for celebration.

In the end, however, something just keeps wriggling into the back of my mind, hopelessly picturing whatever repercussions could befall us.

But, I could just be paranoid. It kind of comes with the lack of self confidence.

My thoughts are suddenly interrupted by the sweet, melodic sound of Monika's voice.

"She's ready~!"

My head turns to the hallway, where I see Monika step from around the corner.

She looks into the hall, out if my peripheral view. "Come on, Sayori!"

Then, slowly, the coral pink haired girl emerged into my view, revealing what Monika had changed about her.

My eyes widen, and my mouth opens at the sight of her.

Monika had replaced her uniform with one of the shirts we purchased at the clothes store for her, but she kept the skirt and shoes, the same as her.

Her bow was missing from her hair, which I felt conflicted about. I kind of felt it suited her character.

Well, the smiling mask she wears, at least.

"D-Do I look weird…?" The timid girl asked, her shoulders tightened in embarrassment.

"N-No, no! In fact, it looks great on you!" I exclaim in an attempt to alleviate her bashful and shy demeanor.

A small smile stretched Sayori's lips, as her relaxed expression told me she lowered her guard towards me by a small amount.

"I _told_ you it looked fine." Monika said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

I can't help but smile as well.

I'm glad to see that we can make Sayori feel comfortable, despite her feeling more scared and confused she has ever been in her life.

She's really no different than any human.

I look to the time, realizing it was a later time than I anticipated. "It's getting late. We should go while there's still some sun out. Are you ready?" I ask the blushing young woman.

She gently nods, and walks over towards the front door, myself following after.

"Hold it."

I am halted by Monika, which my attention points to.

She places my face within her hands, cupping my cheeks. She leans her head closer to me, planting a loving and wet kiss upon my lips.

"Muah~! See you when you get back~"

My legs turn to a viscous jelly, and my cheeks burn a bright red at the flirtatious way she spoke.

"B-Be back soon.." I croak, promoting a small giggle from the coral brown-haired girl.

I turn my head to see Sayori was watching the whole time, her face just as red as mine.

"W-What?" I timidly croak.

God, I must look like a lovestruck schoolboy to her right now.

Looking upon my reddened face, a smile forms across her lips. "It's nothing." She said, her voice a tad more calm than last she spoke.

"Lets… Let's go then…" I reply, walking past Sayori out the door. "We'll be right back."

"Ok, see you soon!" Moniks chirped as I closed the door behind Sayori.

It was just Sayori and I from that moment, outside the closed front door of my home.

"Well...shall we go then?" I ask, receiving another small nod from the girl.

* * *

Mere minutes pass, as I walk down the sidewalk with Sayori, the cool nightly air breezing.

At least, it would be better if the girl wasn't following several paces behind me.

"You know, I don't bite." I say, leaning my head back towards her while keeping my eyesight forward.

Nothing was heard from the young woman following behind me but a small squeak.

I can't really blame her for being nervous. She has no idea who I am or what this world even is.

I just wish she wasn't so afraid of me…

"Not one for conversation, are we?" I nervously ask, hoping to dispel the tense atmosphere between her and I.

Once again, nothing but silence from the young maiden.

A pained, defeated sigh pushes itself out of my lungs.

I don't know what to do anymore.

Regardless, I maintain my walking pace, up until I hear the sound of her footsteps stop.

I turn my head to see Sayori staring off into the distance, a curious look upon her small face.

I look towards whatever she had her attention pointed to, and could see a small group of children playing in a nearby park.

I turn myself, and walk towards the still young woman.

"Looking at those kids over there?" I ask.

My sudden question garnered her attention to me, before her eyes quickly fell to the ground. "They...just look like they're having fun is…"

I look towards the small group of children, and could count five of them. Two girls, and three boys, to be exact.

Two of the boys were playing around with one another, as one of the girls seemed to be laughing from the fun.

The remaining boy and girl were cutely enough, holding each other's hands, talking amongst themselves.

I look to the distant-eyed girl, taking a deep breath.

"Sayori, whatever's on your mind, you're in a safe place to tell." I sternly state. "We're friends after all, right?"

Her shining blue eyes pointed to me, before becoming filled with uncertainty as she looked down again.

"I-I just...don't know how to react to any of this…" She replied, before crossing the fingers within her hands together.

My eyes point towards the two children holding hands, then back to Sayori.

Now why would Sayori have such a downtraughten face after seeing that peculiar image?

The thought then came to me.

"It's about him, isn't it? The protagonist?"

Sayoris eyes widened in surprise, showing my question was right on the mark, before sadly falling to the ground again.

"He...its…"

I take a step closer towards the fidgeting girl.

"If anything is on your mind, Monika and I are more than willing to listen." I say, my lips curling into a smile. "Or...do you not trust us?"

"N-No, no, it's not that at all…" She nervously stuttered.

"Well, the way I see it, you're free to make your own choices now. You're no longer bound to some programming script for the sake of others." I explain, shrugging my shoulders.

Hesitantly, Sayori spoke in return, facing the ground. "B-But, that's just the thing…" She said. "Even though you say I was _trapped,_ I never felt like I was bound to anything…"

My eyebrows raise in a flash at her words. "What do you mean?"

Sayori raises her head to look at me.

"I already thought I had free choice…so how can you tell someone they only _now_ have something they thought they already had?"

I was left speechless at the young woman's answer. I never thought of it that way.

"A-And about... _him…_ " Sayori continued, speaking of the Protagonist. "While I can't remember his name, or even what his face looked like...I can still remember that we would play when we were younger…"

I bring a finger to my cheek, lightly scratching with guilt. "A-And I guess us bringing the news that he wasn't real was... _more_ than jarring _…_ "

Sayori shook her head at my reply. "It's...just something I need to get used to…" Her frown grows into a sad smile. "He made me feel so special sometimes...I feel like we had our own special relationship, since we grew up together…"

Saddened by her words, scratch the back of my neck. "W-Well...for what it's worth, I remember those last couple of days with the club through the game."

Her head perks at my words. "W-What?"

I take this chance while I have her attention. "Y-Yeah, heh… I remember when you hit your head, at least."

Sayori's face turns a light pink at my words. "O-Oh...that time…"

I chuckle under my breath at her embarrassed face. "I might have taken the role of your friend, but I'm more than willing to be your friend in the real world as well."

Her expression raised after hearing my words. "I-It...makes me feel a bit better to hear that…" She replied. "Thank you, Cecil."

I could feel my face burn a bit pink after hearing those words, from _the_ Sayori nonetheless.

"N-Not a problem." I stutter. "S-Sorry, we should get back on track…"

She shakes her head once more. "No, it's alright. Lead on."

After our tender little moment, we continue on our journey to the gas station, the lights inside and street lamps around the store illuminating all that was within range.

Following a bit closer to me, I lead the young woman into the interior, where the groceries and libations resided.

Sayori seemed a little lost though, but can be understandable. Some aspects her are a lot different from hers, after all.

We browse through the isles, finding ourselves unable to choose from the assortment of goodies and snack foods with an absolute decision.

"So, uh, did you want anything?" I ask, keeping my eyes to the displays.

"N-No, I'll be fine…"

Suddenly, a small growl could be heard from the young woman. "...Well, maybe just... _one_ little snack…"

I chuckle to myself at the adorable sight before me. "Oh come on, I know how much of a foodie you are. Go on, get whatever you want."

"H-Huh? How did...A-Are you sure?" Sayori stuttered.

"Yeah, go ahead. My treat."

Taking no time at all, Sayori immediately snatched bag after bag of junk food, to the point she had to carry a small pile of assorted snacks with both hands.

I never realized she would have worked that fast, as I stand frozen at the sight before me.

Sayori's excited expression dropped after seeing my reaction. "I-Is this too much?"

"U-Uh, no no, not at all. I said it was...my treat after all." I say with a regretful sigh.

"I-If it is, I can just-"

"No no, it's fine, just...surprised me is all."

First Monika drops me a few hundred for some clothes, and now Sayori just might eat me out of my grocery bill.

But, I can't help but keep a gleeful smile across my face. I'm the only one able to see Sayori in her natural habitat, and _in person_ nonetheless.

She's the kind of person who would make you happy by just being happy.

After gathering our groceries, and hauling them to the cashier, we leave the building, both of us carrying a bag each.

"I-I still feel it's a bit too much though…" Sayori nervously murmured, as she looked upon the filled bags I was carrying.

"Hey, whatever you need to adjust, I'm more than happy to help." I say, a sense of pride enveloping my mood.

A smile formed across the maiden's lips after hearing my words. "W-Well...thank you...for everything so far…"

"My pleasure, Sayori." I reply with a wide, satisfied grin.

We continue on our pathway back home, until we come across a crosswalk across the street. A red light shined from the opposite side, signaling us to remain still. Looking both ways, I couldn't see any cars coming at all from either side.

We wait until the light blinked green, and start crossing over to the other side.

"S-So...how did you know Monika anyway? Wasn't she...wherever we were before all this?" Sayori asked, in an effort to break the silence between us.

I scratch the back of my neck, unsure of what to say. "She...er, apparently grew autonomy all of a sudden. I thought it was all fake as well, so imagine my surprise when I…" I say, my words cut short from a sight to our left.

A set of headlights could be seen from the distance, driving towards us from down the road.

The only scary part about it was that **it wasn't stopping for us!**

"S-Shit!" I exclaim, before suddenly wrapping my arms around Sayori and jump to the side, taking the full force of our combined weight hitting the ground, with the incoming car speeding past us just in time.

Once the dust settled, I take a few deep breaths to myself.

"J-Jesus Christ, that was close…" I say, holding the protected maiden within my arms. "A-Are you alright, Sayori?"

"Y-Yeah, I am…" She replied, standing from our position.

I pick myself up after, wiping off the dust and dirt off my shirt. "Crazy bastard…"

Sayori approaches me slowly. "I'm more worried about- ah!"

Suddenly, Sayori nearly falls to her knees, if not for the fact I caught her again just in time.

"H-Hey, what's wrong?" I ask, helping her to her feet.

She brings a hand to her left foot, trying her best to stand. "I-I think you pushing me like that twisted my ankle…"

 **Shit.**

"O-Oh, I-I'm sorry…" I guiltingly apologize, feeling more like an oaf than a sterling savior.

"N-No, it's fine, I can just -Ah!"

Sayori trips herself from her injury, prompting me to catch her once again.

She won't be able to walk home like this. I'm gonna need to think of something.

Taking a deep sigh to myself, I crouch down to the girl, my back facing her.

"Here, you won't be able to walk on that. I'll just carry you home."

A surge of red blanketed the young woman's cheeks, as she frantically replied to my offer. "E-Ehh? N-No, you don't have to do that!"

"Are you sure? Because I don't think you can walk on that."

"N-No, no, I don't want to trouble you-"

"The sooner you do this, the sooner we can get home, alright?"

Only a few moments after hearing my words, the young woman slowly mounts my back.

"Hold on." I say, stopping the girl.

I then take off my work shirt, revealing the plain t-shirt underneath. I hand it to the young woman, much to her confusion. "Here, wrap this around your waist."

"E-Eh? But...why?"

"So no one will see under your skirt."

After a flare of red across her cheeks, Sayori sheepishly wraps the shirt given to her, covering her waist.

"Ready?" I ask, preparing myself to carry another human being.

"M-Mhm…" Sayori nods, before looping her legs within my arms.

I then piggy back lift her from the ground, and much to my surprise, she had a bit of weight to her, despite her slender figure. "How's your ankle?"

"I-I-Its fine…"

After another quick smile, I adjust the grip on the bags of snacks and continue on our way back home, carrying Sayori behind me.

"I-I'm sorry you have to do this…" She apologized, the light tone in her voice dropping.

"Its alright, I don't want you to walk on a hut ankle."

"I-I know, I just...feel like a burden right now…" She sulked.

Hearing her voice drop to a somber murmur reminded me about just what made her so interesting to begin with.

Sayori, has a _severe_ case of depression. A mentally and spiritually taxing disorder modern science can't even diagnose, let alone cure.

She lives her life carefree and happy, at least she would show so.

Underneath that smiling mask is a feeling some would say "feels like an emotional anchor.".

And that's just the thing that scares me.

Sure, I've been depressed before, but never _clinically._ I have no idea how to handle sadness and self-loathing of that kind of scale.

Neither does anyone else really, not even those who _are_ depressed.

Some will say " _It's just all in their heads_ " or, " _It's nothing more than a chemical imbalance in the brain_ ", but from my experience, it's just so much more than that.

From what I know from those who tell stories of their depression, they feel a lead weight anchoring their happiness and emotions. They are unable to enjoy even the most exciting of activities, their emotions weighing them down like a ton of bricks.

Dare I say, it could be similar to paranoia, where there's always a little voice in your head telling you all the negativity in your ideas and actions.

There's no medical cure for it, and any instance in trying to cure it can sometimes only made the case _worse than before._

 _ **But.**_

"H-Hey, Sayori?"

"..."

"I...I know about your depression. And how serious it is."

 _ **I do believe it is possible to cure.**_

The young maiden flinched after hearing my words. I guess I hit a **really** sensitive subject."B-But, I'm...not going to think of you any less for it."

The girl remained silent.

"I won't tell you to 'just be happy' or, 'don't think about the bad stuff', because I know that's not how it works." I continue. "But what I will say…"

I swallow the saliva in my throat before continuing. "You don't have to do it alone."

Her silence only made me more nervous as time went on. I hoped she would say _something_ after that.

"Monika and I will always be there to listen whenever you feel the world's against you. O-Only when you're ready, of course…"

Even though I can see her face, I know she's feeling uncertain of how to take my words.

"...Do...Do you mean it?"

"Of course, Sayori. I wouldn't lie about something like that."

In that moment, I feel Sayori relax herself more, slumping her body against my back.

"...Okay...I...I believe you…"

And in _that_ moment, a grin flashed across my face.

Though slow, hell, it's only beginning, I feel like I can really break through to her over time.

Hopefully, we could even-

"Yooo, Cecil!"

A familiar voice suddenly came from behind me, cutting my thoughts.

I stop and turn myself to see the muscle-man neighbor himself Daniel following after me, with someone else following him.

"Danny? What are you doing out here?" I ask, perplexed as to why he's not at some gym or running a 10k marathon.

"Ah, I'm just going out for a walk with my girlfriend." He replied, moving to the side to show the young woman behind him.

My eyes widen as I realize I _know_ the woman behind him.

"Hey, it's you! The cashier at that clothes shop a few days ago!" I say, smiling.

The woman looks upon me, realizing from that day we shopped in her store. "O-Oh! It really is you!" She replied.

Daniel raised an eyebrow at our exchange of words. "You know him?"

"Yeah, he and his girlfriend Anna were shopping at my store not too long ago." The woman explained.

"W-Wait, _girlfriend_?" Daniel asked, flabbergasted at the words he heard. "Just when the hell were you going to tell me this, man?"

"O-Oh, you know, just n-never got around to it…" I sheepishly reply.

"Well, I guess I was wrong about you then! You _can_ get a date after all!" He chuckled while crossing his arms. "Ah, this is Stacy, by the way. Sorry, I never introduced you to her either."

"A-Ah, nice to meet-...er, well, I've already kind of met you at the store, but it's nice to know your name, at least... I never got it at the store…"

"Likewise." Stacy replied, smiling. "But, who is this girl you're carrying?"

 **Shit.**

"U-Umm...well…" I stammer, finding myself suddenly on the spot.

" _Anna? Who's that?"_ Sayori whispered into my ear.

" _It's still Monika, she just came up with a name on the spot."_

" _Ohhh…."_

"Yo, Cecil, you alright?" Daniel asked, suspicious of our whispering.

"Y-Yeah, j-just...er, this is-"

Suddenly, Sayori interrupts me. "Caroline. I'm a distant cousin of his. It's nice to meet you!" She chirped.

"Er, likewise." Daniel flatly replied. "May I ask why you're carrying her, Cecil?"

"O-Oh, uh, there was this speeding car, and it nearly hit us. She accidentally twisted her ankle when I pushed us out of its way…."

"Seriously!? That asshole nearly hit you too!?" Daniel groaned in frustration. "He's been doing this all week!"

The young woman approached the two of us. "Do we need to call someone at all for you?"

"U-Uh, no no, we're fine. I was just gonna carry her back home." I reply.

Daniel cocked his head to the side quizzically."You sure? Our building is still like, a couple hundred meters away."

I shake my head. "N-No, I'll be fine. Besides, maybe I can build some muscle this way…"

Daniel laughed with a proud, hearty chuckle. "Now _that's_ what I'm talking about! You need to work on those noodle arms, man!"

Was... that encouraging, or insulting?

"Y-Yeah." I nervously chuckle. "A-Anyways, we need to be getting back home."

Daniel gave a confirming nod, while Stacy crossed her arms, her face still unsure.

"Should we at least follow you just to make sure you get home safe?" She asked.

"N-No, again, were fine." I reply. "I appreciate your concern for us, though."

Stacy gave a defeated sigh, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, if anything happens, I'm right next door, bro." Daniel promised with a smile.

A smile crept upon my lips at Daniel's kind words. I'm always a sucker for flattery.

"Sure thing, Danny." I nodded.

Daniel and Stacy then take their leave, talking amongst themselves away from earshot.

Thank god Danny doesn't play games too often.

Meanwhile, I turn my head towards the relieved Sayori, who was slightly taken aback by my gaze.

I raise my eyebrow at the young woman. "'Caroline'?"

"W-What? I-I think it's a cute name…"

I turn my head forward, the name "Caroline" echoing through my mind.

"...Yeah, you're right. It suits you in a way." I feel Sayori wriggle and fidget in embarrassment across my back.

I adjust my grip on the groceries and the maiden riding across my back.

"Come on, let's get home."

* * *

After about twenty minutes of carrying one hundred fifty's worth of snacks and pure, fragile fluff in human skin, I finally reach the door to my apartment, my arms about ready to give out.

"A-Are you alright?" Sayori asks, obviously feeling my arms shaking through my grip on her legs.

"O-Of course!" I say as I barely manage to open the door.

Entering through the doorway and closing the door behind us, we are greeted by Monika wearing her cooking apron from around the corner of the kitchen.

"Welcome home! I just got started on-" Her face instantly drops to a shocked expression at the sight of Sayori and I. "What's… going on here?"

I groan as I carry Sayori back over to the couch, my tired arms getting the rest they deserved. "She hurt...her foot...on the way back…" I say between panting breaths.

"I...see." Monika replies, her face growing a small smile. "Well, you go get some water. You look exhausted."

"Arms...so...tired…" I say as Monika pats me on my back in congratulations.

"Good job, big guy. I'll handle Sayori from here." She giggled, her sudden flattery flaring my face a light pink.

I tiredly shuffle towards the kitchen, the smell of Monika's cooking permeating my senses as I walk.

I enter the kitchen, finding a pot set on the stove and fresh vegetables cut across a cutting board close by.

Looks like she's making that pasta after all.

After grabbing a cup from the cupboard and filling it with water from the tap, I almost drink the entire glass with the thirst of a man that just traveled through a desert.

Feeling the water taking effect, I curiously walk over towards the cutting board, looking upon a pepper halfway cut already.

I extend my hand to take a cut piece of pepper, taking a small morsel to sample what's to come for dinner.

As I chew upon the crunchy bit, a peculiar sight catches my eye.

I look closer at the cutting board, noticing a rather deep cut into the wood. If it had gone any further, it looked like it would breach the other side.

It's almost as if someone _stabbed_ the poor thing with the knife next to it.

Huh. Has that always been there? Weird.

Shrugging off the little detail, I walk back out of the kitchen, peeking past the corner into the living room.

There, I see Monika tending to Sayori's hurt ankle, going as far as propping her leg on the couch.

I am unable to hear their conversation, however, as they speak to one another, unaware of my presence.

Taking my chance to quietly observe, I lean into the wall, looking upon the comforting sight before me.

It might take some time, but I'm positive Sayori can come to terms with what Monika's done to her and the others. If they are as close of friends as I imagine, I'm sure they'll work everything out.

Monika has no reason to be malicious, after all. I'm already all hers, so she won't have to worry about the others taking me away from her.

...

...

... _At least, I hope so_.


	15. Chapter 13

The morning sunlight pierces through the curtains of my bedroom window, shining an awakening light upon my face. My eyes open slowly as my half-asleep brain realizes the time to awaken. As they eyes adjust to the morning light illuminating through my darkened bedroom, I look to my side and see I have awoken alone.

For a fraction of a second, confusion takes a hold of my thoughts as I look to the empty space next to me.

But, my thoughts are rendered void, as a sweet and savory scent permeates my nose, as if teasing my senses. Ah, the feeling of waking up in the morning with breakfast on the way.

...Along the age-old question:

"Should I stay in bed, wheres its warm and comfortable, or do I get up for breakfast?"

A small growl from my stomach seemed to answer that question. I guess my appetite has better plans in mind.

I emerge from the blanket and sheets of my bed, and shuffle myself out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen, where I heard the distinct sound of bacon sizzling.

I peek my head around the corner, and see the woman I love tending to the breakfast at hand.

God, she looks so cute with an apron on.

I decide not to intrude on her cooking work, and silently make my way to the bathroom back in the bedroom for my usual morning routine.

Looking into the mirror, I see that my facial hair has grown quite a bit since I last checked. Maybe I should shave a bit. I'm sure she would love it if I had a clean, shaven face. But for now, I instead reach for my toothbrush.

As I brush away the festering bacteria and plaque build up overnight in my mouth, my eyes fall upon the small metal ring around my left ring finger.

A smile forms across my lips as I gaze at the ring. Something as little as a small piece of metal symbolizing the trust and love between two people is amazing to think about.

It's no different from us, either.

Ever since that girl came into my life, I have been filled with nothing but content and happiness from the day I told her I loved her.

And after some time...we eventually became married.

A sense of fulfillment fills my chest as I look upon my wedding ring, knowing that I'm proudly able to call her my loving wife.

Suddenly, I hear the bathroom door open at my side.

"Morning, sleepy~!" A sweet and melodic voice fills the room from a mere crack of the door. "I hope you're hungry, I have breakfast almost done!"

"Well, when you put it like that, I'm _starving._ " I playfully muse, garnering a giggle from behind the door.

"Just finish up whatever you're doing, and come on down to the kitchen when you're ready!" Came the voice of my loving wife.

Longing for a more physical gesture of love instead of just talking and flirting, I reach for the door to remove the obstacle between us, only to have the door shut on me before even touching the doorknob.

"Tsk tsk tsk~!" My wife clicks her tongue in a teasing manner. "Already eager to get your hands on me, and it's only morning."

"N-Not even a little hug or kiss?"

Another adorable giggle fills my ears from the other side of the door.

"Weelll, just get ready, and you can have me however you want!" She teases, causing my heart to flutter at the mere sound of her words. Ugh, she can be such a tease sometimes.

"I'll be waiting~!" Were the final words I hear from my wife, before hearing the sound of her footsteps disappear from earshot.

Not taking any time at all, I quickly finish up brushing my teeth and head straight for the kitchen, where breakfast made by my wonderful wife awaits me.

I turn around the corner into the kitchen, where I see her just about finishing up our morning meal.

I slowly tip-toe my way over to her, and immediately wrap my arms around her waist, causing her to jump from the shock.

"H-Hey, I said to _wait~!_ " She giggles, as she places her small, slender hands upon my arms.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. It just makes me so happy knowing you're in my life." I say, resting my chin on her shoulder as I tighten my embrace.

"Aww...you're just too sweet!" My wife compliments, repaying my words with a peck on the cheek.

Her loving and amorous words cause me to chuckle in satisfaction. "If I'm sweet, then you're just a sugar coma waiting to happen." I say, returning with a light kiss on her cheek.

"Easy there, _Romeo._ Why don't you fill up on some breakfast before you eat me alive?"

"What? I can't get a little snack first?"

I feel a defeated and sympathetic sigh from the woman in my arms.

"Ohh, _fine_ ~" She accepts, as she turns her head to me.

Pride, love, and a sense of fulfillment fills my heart as I look upon the face of my loving significant other.

The face of my loving wife, Sayori.

She raises her hands to my face, holding my cheeks within her palms as she leans forward, tenderly planting her lips onto mine.

"Mmmh…" A small, muffled moan is heard.

Her body starts to shiver at my touch, as I bring my hand to her face while we continue our morning kiss. Our lips separate from one another with a satisfying smacking sound only two pairs of lips could make.

"S-Sheesh, you make me feel like a sheep against a wolf…like you'll eat me up if I'm not careful." Sayori sheepishly croaked through an embarrassed smile as she raised her hand to touch the hand tenderly holding her face.

"Well, stop being such a wonder of a person and I might just have some restraint." I muse. "But, seeing how that's impossible for you, you'll just have to deal with it."

Sayori's face flushed with red after hearing my complimenting words. "Oh, you can just be too much sometimes." She teases before giving a peck on my lips in return. "Now, I'm just about done with breakfast, so go change out of your sleeping clothes."

"Huh? I can't just eat like this?"

"And get breakfast all over the clothes you sleep in? Come on, I know how you are with my cooking. Sometimes I think you get it more on you than in you."

"H-Hey, I can't help it. You just make food too good to eat slowly."

My wife giggles at my words once more. "Come on, just go change real quick. Your meal will still be here waiting."

I take a defeated sigh at the slightly disheartening request of the woman I love. "Oh, _alright._ "

I release Sayori from my grasp, and make my way towards the bedroom, making sure to get one last look of my impeccable significant other before leaving her alone in the kitchen.

I make my way back into my bedroom, approaching the drawer containing my usual clothes.

Until something catches my eye, lying upon the bed.

I look upon the unmade mess of a bed I call my own, to see a long strand of white cloth.

The sight perplexes me deeply as I raise the ribbon from the bed, curling my lips in a quizzical form as my fingers run across the silky fabric.

Now why would something like this be here in the first place?

Suddenly, another pair of hands attached to arms appeared from behind me, and lovingly wrapped themselves around my lower chest, causing me to jump practically three feet in the air.

"J-Jesus... don't scare me like that, Sayor-"

My words and calm demeanor come to s sudden halt as I look to the tightening arms and hands.

 _These...these aren't Sayori's hands…_

Almost as if whoever was behind me could read my mind, the grip on my chest loosened, setting me free from my mysterious and unknown intruder.

Silence was all that could be heard as I slowly turned my head behind myself with a fearful heart.

Behind me, stood a girl.

A girl with gleaming green eyes and chestnut brown hair that almost reached her legs, wearing what looked like Sayori's old school uniform.

In fact, it was _exact_ to her uniform, down to the red bow, skirt, and jacket. Is she one of her old classmates?

I ask with a dry throat: "W-Who...are you?"

The girl remained silent before curling her lips into a rather sly and smug smile. I stand silently and still at the girl's confident expression.

"...Huh? What are you-"

In that moment, my words are cut horribly short over a strange sensation in my ears.

A sound, one that I had never heard before, started ringing in the back of my head, increased in volume. A sensation akin to tin-foil being crumbled ran across my mind, growing only louder and grating.

My legs give out the last bit of strength they had as I collapse to the floor, curling into a fetal position of agony and suffering to cope with the sensory overload.

Hopelessly pinned to the ground through my mind, I manage to open my eyes just enough to see the mysterious girl currently causing my suffering.

"Who... _What_ are you…?"

All but a small giggle was heard from the young woman. She then slowly reached down to the floor, picking up the ribbon I had dropped in my confusion.

Her face remained a sly smile as she gathered her hair and tied the ribbon to fashion a ponytail.

I didn't know whether it was from confusion, or my mind had finally snapped from the strain on my ears…

...But the girl looked more...familiar?

Her eyes widen in surprise as I look into the gemstones that were her eyes.

In that instant, the noise echoing through my head started to die down, slowly giving my hearing back.

Once the noise was reduced to almost nothing, the strange but terrifying girl extended her hand towards me, offering help up to my feet.

But suspicion and skepticism take a hold of me as I reject any notion from the unnamed girl.

"What is going on!? Who are you, a-and what the hell just happened!?" I scream, demanding answers.

My demands are left on deaf ears, as the girl simply brings a finger to her lips to avoid conversation.

Angered by the girl's reaction, I quickly stand to my feet. "What? What are you-" My words are cut by a hand raised to silence me from speaking.

She then closes her fingers, pointing her thumb to the side of her. I point my vision to whatever she was pointing at, my heart immediately dropping to my feet at the sight the young woman pointed my attention towards.

Dangling from the ceiling, was Sayori.

 **Hung by a noose.**

"S-Sayori!?" I scream in fear at the horrifying sight before me.

I immediately sprint to my hanging wife to lift her from dangling from the ceiling by the tied rope. My fears only worsened when I realize she wasn't moving, her body still and cold like a corpse as her body lolls lifelessly across my shoulder.

No.

 **No.**

" **NOOOO!** "

Desperate and terrified, I reach for the nearby drawer to pull out a pocket knife I kept for emergencies, and frantically cut into the rope looped around her neck.

Once I finally cut completely through, Sayori's lifeless body drops into my arms. I lay her onto the floor, and desperately search to find a pulse anywhere.

Realizing my own panicked heartbeats made it hard to find what I'm looking for, I quickly bring my ear to her mouth.

 _She... isn't breathing..._

"Sayori? Come on honey, talk to me!"

But no answer came from her.

"No...no no no, please God, tell me this isn't real…"

With fearful haste, I dig my hand into my pocket for my phone to call an emergency ambulance.

But once I brought the phone to my ear, only a strange, distorted static sound could be heard from the speaker. The increased pitch caused in my ears, prompting me to toss the phone across the room.

"God dammit, what the fuck is-" I scream into the air, only for my voice to silenced from earshot by a finger to my lips.

The unnamed girl crouched in front of me, keeping her finger upon my lips.

"Shhh...it's okay now."

My eyebrow furrows in anger and frustration, as I attempt to speak to break my silence.

While I spoke words, no sound could be heard.

I couldn't even hear myself speak.

The girl reacts to this by giving s small chuckle at my confusion. "I'm here now. And now, no one is going to get in the way."

...

...Did…

Did _she_ do this!?

 _Did she murder my wife!?_

Taking matters into my own hands, I stand to my feet in order to confront the young woman.

Unfortunately, functions in my legs were the next part of me to be lost, as I shamelessly fall forward into the girl's arms.

She held me close to her, wrapping her arms around my head in a tender and loving matter.

I try to bring my arms up to push the assailant of my wife away from me, but any attempts to move my arms were met in vain, as I hopelessly lay within her arms, literally unable to move.

"Why…" I mouth with my lips, my voice remaining silent and unheard. "Why are you doing this…"

Somehow, the girl was able to understand my muted words, as I am met with a playful giggle.

" _Because I love you, silly~"_

 _..._

...What?

Who the hell would-

…

...Wait.

A name suddenly just came to my mind.

A name I had never heard before until now, one that just somehow fit perfectly with the murderous young woman holding me similarly to a distraught child.

My neck moves on its own to lock my gaze with her.

"...M...Monika?"

The girl's eyes widened with surprise, as her lips stretch to form a satisfied grin.

"That's right. It's me." The girl named "Monika" replied. "And I'll make sure _**no one**_ takes you away from me."

Her head points to the lying body of my former wife. I can nearly feel my heart stop beating when I look into her cold, opaque eyes.

All those years spent together.

All those precious memories of love and devotion.

That moment when I finally proposed to her.

 _Gone in a heartbeat._

"And now that she's gone…" Monika shrewdly cackles while she takes a hold of my head, gently cupping her hands over my cheeks. She points my head back to her, to which I stare into her emerald eyes in complete anguish.

I lay hopelessly as I stare into my assailant's gleaming green eyes, unable to move or even speak. The world around me, from the floor to the ceiling, dissolved until nothing but a deep and black void surrounding the both of us.

Her words cut into my heart like a dagger as a crazed smile form across her face.

" _ **You're all mine to have.**_ "


	16. Chapter 14

" **JESUS CHRIST!"**

I jolt awake from my not-so-peaceful slumber screaming, sitting straight from my lying position.

My eyes scan frantically across the room, while the shock from the images fresh within my mind caused me to hyperventilate. As my adrenaline level steadies, I find myself on the couch of my living room once again, with nothing but a single pillow and blanket for comfort.

I raise my hands to massage my temples, as a way to gather my thoughts.

 _It was...just another nightmare..._

My eyes point to my side, seeing my phone lying upon the coffee table close by, reading the time as six-forty five. Knowing I start work at eight, a small groan leaves my throat while I pick myself off of the couch. I stretch my arms over the back of my head, the joints within my shoulder cracking from discomfort..

Unfortunately, I couldn't complain about my discomfort so easily.

Ever since the living embodiment of "the childhood friend" appeared in a familiar fashion into my almost newlywed lifestyle, I've allowed both girls to share my bed in the meantime.

Perhaps it's the way my mother raised me, but I just couldn't stand to see Sayori sleeping on the couch, knowing fully well Monika and I would have a warm bed together.

I only went with what I thought was right, and despite almost a week of the living world, she still can seem a little out of touch with it.

But, one can obviously tell Monika wasn't _too_ happy with that _._

Despite my discomfort, I press onward, rubbing the back of my sore neck on my way towards the kitchen.

On the way down the hall, Stevie resurfaces himself from within the space between the couch, sniffing at the air.

He's learned to detect when I have awakened, most likely by the sound of my rather heavy footsteps in the morning. This seemed to have a Pavlovian effect on him, since I feed him every morning before I leave for work. He hears my footsteps, and immediately knows it's breakfast time.

He follows me into the kitchen, where he sits next to his food bowl, eagerly facing towards me.

Deciding to humor him, I pull out two cans of wet cat food from a cupboard, both the same brand, but with different meat in each.

"So, turkey, or beef today?" I ask my disabled companion.

He replies by cocking his head in a quizzical fashion.

"...Beef it is."

Once I prepared Stevie's breakfast and lowered the filled bowl to him, he takes no time at all in devouring his breakfast.

While watching Stevie enjoy his break away from dry cat food, my mind fall towards the events transpired recently.

It's been just a day shy of a week since the day my views on reality were twisted beyond comprehensive belief, and was met with a...beautiful girlfriend in return.

I always knew life was strange and filled with mysterious, unexpected turns.

But how do humans appearing from a completely illogical reality come into play?

It's almost been a week, and I _still_ have no idea what's going on, or how it happened.

But all while my fears for what may conspire from recent turn of events, in the end, I'm just glad those two girls are living with a roof over their heads.

Still lethargic over just waking up, I drag my feet towards the counter to get a pot of coffee started.

It's funny, really.

I was never really a coffee person until Monika entered my life. Now, I'm more dependent on it than I thought possible, whether it really works or it's just a placebo effect. I even bought a coffee machine for the first time ever. Besides, if anything, at least I'm able to have something to enjoy along with my new significant other.

Considering our black and white personalities, I try to take all I can.

After dealing with the used filter filled with watered down grinds, I fill enough water and fresh coffee for about 5 cups worth, and turn on the machine with the push of a button.

Hearing the machine whirring as the inner mechanics pulsate throughout the brewing process, the gruesome images from my nightmare flood my freshly awakened mind.

Ever since Sayori appeared from nowhere, I've had a total of three nightmares as the week progressed.

All of them involving Sayori, Monika and I.

The real question I have is...why?

Why would I have a dream about living a married life with Sayori so frequently?

Not to say it wouldn't be a happy life, but I've already dedicated my heart to Monika.

Maybe there's still some kind of fear crawling in my subconscious about those two. Knowing the events that happened within the game, I can't say I'm fully without fear for their safety.

Especially since I can't help but remember that evil, sly grin across Monika's face.

Sayori especially, since Monika _still_ hasn't brought up the macabre deeds she's done to her. Sometimes, I'm half attempted to tell her myself.

Obviously, that would be romantic suicide, and considering Monika's social and charismatic nature, I would most likely have to get used to sleeping in the laundry room. Maybe the kitchen if I've been a "good boy".

But, the human mind is much, much more complex than that. Dreams can materialize from corners of the mind one would never think they would have.

I could just be overthinking everything again. I tend do that when I'm met with something I don't understand.

Deciding to take a shower to pass the time while the machine went through the brewing process, I leave the kitchen and walk towards the bathroom within the bedroom. I stop outside the bedroom door, only slightly cracking it open to peek inside.

Judging by the two lumps underneath a blanket on the bed, I deduce that the girls were still asleep. It's just barely seven in the morning, after all.

Quietly tiptoeing across the room, as not to awaken the young maidens, I sneak myself into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

Once within the comforting walls of my own bathroom, I inspect myself within the mirror much like I had in my dream, running my hand across the slight peach fuzz growing on my face.

God, I'm a mess this morning.

Bad case of bedhead? Check.

Circles underneath my eyes from the nights of unrestful sleep? Check.

Teeth slightly yellow, because I accidentally forgot to brush the last few nights?

Check.

The process of brushing my teeth goes by fast, along with the brushing of my slightly long, brown hair.

Wanting to do something about my facial hair, I reach for the only razor in my possession.

Shaving was never really my forte in terms of self grooming, but I usually try to manage a well kept image for my job alone. Nonetheless, my efforts are rewarded with a face as smooth as a baby's bottom.

It's the little things that can be the most satisfying.

"Oohh, looking sharp~"

While the sudden voice from nowhere made me jump in surprise, I turn my head to the bathroom door to see a set of emerald eyes looking at me through a small crack in the door.

Once my own eyes met them, the door gradually opened to Monika, who herself looked like she had just gotten out of bed. Her hair was slightly frazzled, and her shirt was unkempt with a few buttons undone.

For some reason, she's adopted this little habit of wearing the formal, long sleeved shirts I wear for my job as pajamas.

While it's just a case of "girlfriend borrows boyfriend's clothes", she just looked _**damned**_ good in them. Seeing her wearing my clothes really shows the size difference between us.

The view could wake a man up better than any drug on earth.

Regardless, my cheeks turn a slight pink from the compliment given to me. "Y-You like the well kept look?"

A smile stretches across the young woman's lips, as she steps closer to me. "Of course! It makes you look even more handsome than you usually do."

I sheepishly scratch my cheek in embarrassment, while Monika takes a hold of my arm.

"Though, I do wonder sometimes how a good beard would look on you~" She muses, running a finger down my freshly shaven cheek.

"Heh. Well, maybe I should give it more time next time." I reply smiling.

"Oh, I can wait." She assures, smiling. "Besides…" She says, before rising to give a quick peck on my right cheek. "It makes you more kissable!"

A warm wave washes through my chest, as a silly grin forms across my face. Her words always make me feel like a bashful, flattered little boy.

I turn my head towards her, only to see her eyes closed, and lips puckered towards me. Indulging in her expectant gesture, I return with a kiss upon her lips. Morning kisses are always the best kisses, hands down.

I see Monika's cheeks turn a light red, as she affectionately rubs her face into my arm.

I would say I've been getting better at being a boyfriend over the past week.

However, upon closer inspection of my face, she points out a feature with a slightly worried look on her own.

"Your eyes have slight bags under them." She softly says with a concerned tone. "Did you have another nightmare?"

 _Damn_ , shes good.

"Y-Yeah, kind of…" I reply with a defeated tone.

To be honest, she had suspicions throughout the week about my nightmares. She guessed the first one Monday night, _and_ the one I had Wednesday.

What is she, some kind of psychic?

She makes a small sigh to herself. "Honestly, I don't know why you offered to sleep on the couch. It's obviously not doing good for you, seeing this is the third time this week."

 _Yeah, it's the_ _ **couch**_ _that's giving me nightmares._

I feel Monika's grip tighten around my arm. "I miss sleeping within your loving embrace…"

"I know, I know, but I don't want Sayori to feel estranged from us just because we're a couple…" I reply, feeling guilty from my actions. "How would _you_ feel if you were turned into a third wheel?"

Monika's brow furrows into an annoyed stare, a slightly pouty face inflating her cheeks."Why do you think I did what I did within the game? I almost was forced to anyway!" She says, before giving a slight defeated sigh. "I understand you want to be a supportive friend for Sayori. But as your girlfriend, I have needs too, you know…"

I give a guilt-ridden sigh, only to have Monika give another swift peck on my cheek.

"But if you take me out tomorrow, I'll forgive you~" She whispered into my ear, her soft voice sending weakness to my legs.

"A-Absolutely, it's the weekend after all."

Monika's pouty face quickly rose into a sweet smile. "I'll hold you to that, you know." She replies, releasing my arm. "Well, I shouldn't get in the way of your morning routine. I'll have some breakfast ready for you once you're done and all dressed."

I return the gesture with my own, silly smile.

"C-Can't wait." I reply with a smile I can't possibly rid myself of.

After a confirming smile, Monika turns to leave me to the bathroom in peace.

But as she leaves, my eyes can't help but wander onto her figure while she steps away.

 _Is it just me, or is she not...wearing anything underneath the shirt?_

 _..._

 _...Alright. Let's make this quick._

I pull my shirt over my head, but once I pull the sleeves wrapped around my arms, I feel a sudden presence watching over me. I look to the bathroom door and notice a single green eye peeking through the crack, looking directly at me.

Once mine met with it, however, the door suddenly closed shut, leaving me to myself once more.

…

….Huh.

I...guess I never took her for a "peeker".

* * *

The usual routine of relieving myself and taking a shower go by almost blindingly faster than usual.

Maybe I'm just that excited for her cooking.

Emerging from the bathroom fully dressed and as a refreshed man, I enjoy the slightly cold air within the room for but a moment. In that moment, I look over my bed to see one remaining lump underneath the blanket.

A small smile forms across my lips. "Sayori? You up?"

My words seem to fall upon deaf ears though, and as the young woman in my bed remained unmoved, a sad sigh leaves my throat at the sight.

She said herself within the game that she can struggle to get out of bed in the morning most of the time, with all motivations for the day at a complete loss.

Sure, sometimes I don't want to leave the warm confines of my bed, but this is different.

It breaks my heart to see such an innocent girl have to struggle with such dark emotions, some of which she may not even fully understand.

 _But in the very least of everything…I don't have to just watch her suffer through a screen anymore._

"Hey, I know you're awake."

I approach the young lying woman, crossing my arms while leaning over her. "Sayoriii~, Monika's got bacon cookiingg~"

My attempts to coerce her are in vain, as she remained unmoved.

"...I'm…...I'll be alright, don't worry about me...you have work to worry about…" Sayori replied with a sullen tone, slightly muffled by the blanket wrapped around her.

My reply is quick and honest. "I'm more worried about you, though. You're doing it again."

"What, lying in bed?"

I'm almost taken back by the sudden sharp tone out of nowhere from the pinkette.

"Don't you want any breakfast, or a shower, or...something?" I ask.

"No, maybe later….I just want to lay here for a bit...I'll join you two in a bit…"

I can't help but sigh in disdain at the stubborn girl. She's not budging an inch.

I sit upon the bed, facing the saddened Sayori.

"Look, Sayori, I know it can be... _difficult_ to become motivated, but...it breaks my heart to see you like this."

Sayori tightens the blanket around her. "Please, Cecil, just...go on without me. I'll be out after some time to myself…"

I cross my arms at the girl's reply. "By the looks of it, you've had _too much_ time to yourself."

Sayori remains untouched by my words, judging by her silent demeanor.

I turn myself to face away from her, remaining seated on the bed.

"Sayori...can I tell you something?"

She remains ever unmoved by my words.

"There...was a time when I was in high school...when I kind of thought the same thing as you."

"..."

"I...wasn't exactly the most _popular_ kid in school. I was frequently insulted, teased, bullied, you name it." I explain, a sad smile across my lips. "I would ask myself: 'Why should I have to get up and deal with those who think less of me as a person?'." I said. "Why should I have to dedicate myself to a world where people push others around for no reason?"

"..."

"I...even considered running away at some point."

Suddenly, I see the sad young woman's head budge slightly after hearing my past.

Yes. _Progress._

"Skipping town, finding a new home...maybe even start a new life?" I sadly confess. "I couldn't tell you how often I wanted to just, 'give up' on everything."

"...But...why?"

Sayoris question caught me off guard. I want expecting her to reply to that.

"Well...I thought: 'If I'm such an unlikable person, maybe it would be best if I just...left, and never looked back.'"

From the corner of my eye, I see Sayori sit up, a sad look across her face as her eyes meet mine.

"But...that's not true at all."

My face lights up at the sound of the flattering words given to me.

"You're not like that, at all! You're miles more likable than that!"

While the genuine compliment warmed my heart, I can't help but chuckle at the irony of the situation. Here I am trying to cheer up a sad friend of mine, but they seem to be consoling me instead.

"If that's true, then the same can be said about you as well."

Sayori's eyes widened slightly at my statement. Seems I've gotten through to her a bit.

"...Do...do you mean that?"

I can't help but laugh a hearty laugh. "You kidding? Of course I do!" I say amidst the chuckling.

She, on the other hand, seemed still a tad unconvinced.

"Regardless, there was a point in time when I was younger, that I thought the same thing you are right now." I resumed speaking once my laughs died down. "'I'm not fit for this world, so why bother?'."

She remains silent, despite obviously being affected by my words.

"But, one day, I met a man who would later become my best friend throughout high school. Suddenly, that feeling of loneliness and self doubt just kind of...disappeared."

"And...what of your friend? It's been years since then, right?"

I take a moment to fully remember all the memories shared with that man. Some good, some painful.

Some...a bit scarring.

"W-Well...let's just say we...had a bit of a falling out after we graduated."

A tiny gasp could be heard from the young woman. "Oh no, did something bad happen?"

I wave my hand to dismiss the topic at hand. "I-Its nothing, really. It's not the point I'm trying to make anyway."

"Then...what point _are_ you trying to make?"

I make a sad chuckle at her question.

"My point is...I thought the same as you in the past. Until I realized that there were in fact people that cared about me…"

I look into the piercing blue eyes of the saddened girl before me.

"...and that...made life just a little bit worth living. Enough to keep me going until this day."

Her eyes fall downward. "But...how can I know those kind of people are around _me_?"

I cock a small smile, as I place a hand on her shoulder. "You've got two of them under the same roof as you. In fact, one of them is talking to you right now."

Sayori looked at me with a face I can only describe as: "About to cry of happiness."

"...Thank….Thank you, Cecil...that...actually made everything a bit better…"

A tidal wave of pride and happiness fills my chest once I heard her speak those words.

I'm the only one on Planet Earth able to share these kinds of emotions and feelings with the one Doki that a good amount of players and fans had an emotional connection to. I don't know how I deserved the chance, but I thank whatever cosmic being that allowed me to bring a smile to this one girl's face.

"More than happy to help."

Sayori returns my gesture with a bright smile, but quickly grew to a slight look of embarrassment. "But, u-uhm...really, I-I'll meet you out in the living room, Cecil."

My face drops in an almost instant at Sayori's request. "W-What is it now?"

The girl fell silent for a moment, almost hesitant to answer my question. Was there something I couldn't break through to?

She looks downwards, gripping the edges of the blanket around her. "I'm…uhm...not wearing...any pants right now…"

"..."

"..."

"...Right. Sorry." I say as I immediately rise from the bed, but suddenly became held back by a hand grabbing my arm.

I look back to see Sayori holding dearly onto my wrist. "I-Is anything wrong?" I timidly ask.

Her lips stretch to a heart-warming smile, as her eyes meet with mine once more.

"I hope...you can make amends with your friend."

I take a moment to process the statement given to me. After that brief moment, a smile makes its way across my face towards the bright young woman.

"Thanks, Sayori...it means a lot to hear you say that." I reply, exchanging smiles with the young woman before turning to head out of the room.

Closing the door to the bedroom behind me, I make my way towards the kitchen once the smell of freshly brewed coffee permeates my nostrils.

Turning the corner into the kitchen, I spot Monika leaning over the counter backwards, enjoying a mug of my own special improvised brew form earlier, while a frying pan was set on the stove to warm.

Her eyes turn towards me as I enter the room, a smile across her face. "You made it a bit stronger today." She says, her mug near her lips.

"Maybe using a spoon to scoop it was kinda overdoing it. I just kind of winged it." I reply, scratching the back of my head in slight embarrassment.

"Well, it's not like I don't like it strong, I was just noticing." The young brunette giggled. "I already poured you a cup, and added the amount of cream and sugar you like."

 _ **Dear God, she's an angel**_ **.**

Happily taking my specialty prepared mug, I faintly hear footsteps from outside the confines of the kitchen, to see Sayori entering, wearing her skirt along with a white shirt Monika let her borrow.

"Ah, you're up early today, Sayori." Monika said, with a welcoming tone. "You want some? It'll help you feel a bit more awake." She offers, pointing her mug towards Sayori.

A slight hint of a grimace formed across Sayori's face. "Ah, uh, no thank you. I've never been one for coffee. It's a bit too bitter for me, even if you loaded it with sugar and cream." She replied, waving her hand dismissively.

"Fair enough." I reply, taking a small sip of the piping hot brew. "It takes a bit of time to get used to. I didn't even really drink it until Monika started making it."

A proud, sly giggle left Monika's nose at my confession. "Well, I've still got some breakfast to get started on, if you wanted to wash up in the meantime." She insisted to Sayori.

"Oh, uh, sure!" The young pinkette chirped, as she skipped down the hall, out of sight. "Be right back!"

"Ah, there's a towel on the hangar!" I say with a raised tone, as to reach Sayori's ears.

Once the sound of the door closing could be heard, I also hear the sound of a ceramic mug being placed upon the counter.

I look towards Monika, whose shining green eyes were looking straight into mine.

She raises her hand, running her fingers like walking legs up my chest. "Aaand, now that we're alone…"

Suddenly, Monika presses her whole body against mine, pinning me against the counter.

I manage to put my mug down on the counter without spilling anything, despite the sudden gesture.

Before I get a single word in, she presses her lips aggressively against mine, her hands wrapping tenderly along my cheeks. Eventually, her tongue finds its way past my teeth, swirling and dancing with mine.

I can almost taste the extra sugar she adds to her cup.

After a couple moments of being the subject of a rather aggressive form of affection, she releases her oral grasp on me, her lips slightly shining from saliva.

"I-I see the coffee isn't the only thing that's strong this morning…" I sheepishly state with a silly smile.

After being met with a flirtatious giggle, Monika buries herself into my chest, a satisfied sigh leaving her nose. I give a nervous, but wholehearted chuckle while I return the gesture with an arm around her waist.

All the while Monika clings to me, I can't help but smile at my fortune of a significant other. Just looking into her eyes can cure any sort of vexation I put myself through.

If I can just manage to keep their true identities a secret for a while, then maybe…

...I've got nothing to worry about after all?

* * *

"Come on man, tell me. When was the last time you ever saw 'Berenstain'?"

"Ever since I was a kid, dude! It's always been 'The Berenstain Bears'!"

"No no, it's Beren- _stein_ Bears, man! It even said it on the show!"

Once again I am subject to another argument between Ethan and Toby. I sit at my desk, diligently working on my current project, listening to my coworkers in the behind my computer.

"Ethan, enough already. I still have my old childhood books, and they always said 'The Berenstain Bears'." Chris said, adding himself to the conversation.

"Then that just means we aren't from the same timeline!" Ethan exclaimed, clapping his hand against the desk. "It's always been 'The Berenstein Bears' for me!"

A sudden surge of discomfort and awkwardness roll across my body as Ethan's eyes fall to me.

"Cecil, back me up here!"

 _God Dammit._

A small groan of annoyance leaves my throat.

But, I suppose if it can get me away from work for a few minutes...

"Well, back to the show, right?" I ask.

Ethan's face turned into that of peculiarity, as he raises in eyebrow. "Yeah, what of it?"

"Well, maybe the show is what really got us into saying that. Now that I think of it, maybe they were saying 'Berenstain', but with an accent of some sort."

Ethan's eyes widen at the sudden revelation. "...I...never thought of it that way."

"There, we can just chalk it up to bad memory." Said Chris in an attempt dismiss the conversation.

Toby, meanwhile, crossed his arms at the agitated Ethan. "Dude, you know, if you want to talk about last night, we can just-"

" _ **NO.**_ " Ethan growls, interrupting Toby with an enraged tone. " **I don't want to talk about it.** " he snarls, pointing a finger at Toby.

Chris and I give sympathetic sighs at the sight of the poor, rejected man currently breaking down emotionally. "Ah, right. Heard you struck out last night." I say with an awkward chuckle.

Ethan responds to my statement violently, bringing his hands to his head in frustration.

"It's not fair, man!" Ethan whined. "Since when did girls become so picky!?"

"Are you sure _you_ might not be the one with the problem?" Chris returns with his own question.

"Oh, don't try and act all high and mighty just because you're married _._ "

Toby shortly retaliates with his own argument. "Dude, all you did was twiddle your fingers and mutter shit under your breath. If you had just talked to Bella like I told you, you could have gotten her phone number in the least."

"Nrr, I told you I'm bad at talking!" Ethan snapped back.

I ask a question that planted itself within my mind. "Who was the third guy that went with you guys, anyway?"

"John, from a floor down." Toby replied.

"Oh. How'd he do?"

"Dude, Ethan was the only guy that left the restaurant alone."

Both Chris and I give pity filled grimaces at Ethan's misfortune. "Ouch, man. Ouch."

Ethan darted his eyes straight into mine, filled with a mixture of anger and sorrow. "Cecil, man, you gotta tell me how you somehow managed to get Anna. At this point, I'm desperate."

I take into mind to what happened almost a week ago after hearing Ethan's begging for affection.

Monika somehow gains not only freedom, but a human body to go with it, because my completely blind cat cat managed to activate something within the game files in a fit of shock.

"What can I say, uh…I never expected it."

From the corner of my eye, I can see Toby jump slightly in place looking towards the distance.

As if as a secret code, all three of us immediately see and understand the meaning, and quickly grew silent, focusing on our work.

"Oh, here you guys are."

From behind the cubicle wall, Ellie approaches our table of misfits, a large, heavy looking stack of papers within her arms.

 _Oh Christ, if she's looking for us, then..._

"I need someone to stay after tonight, work out some kinks with a few projects. Three deadlines just got shortened to tomorrow."

 _Knew it._

"Not it."

"Not it."

"Not it."

"Not-...Dammit."

Unfortunately, I am the last to call "Not it". By sacred and mutually respected work-table law, I have no choice but to comply.

"Ah, Cecil. Looks like you drew the short straw this time." Chris stated, a chuckle in his tone.

A smile forms across Ellie's lips. "Well, it's always good to have the better among you, after all."

Christ, way to give me some mean looks, Boss. "S-Sure thing."

But judging by the sneering faces of my coworkers, they didn't seem to care too much for Ellie's compliment to me, which insulted them by proxy.

They just seem more happy they don't have to be _**me**_ _._

"Oh, don't worry, Cecil, It'll be over in no time." Ellie assured me, before turning around. "I'll even make it worth your time afterwards." She says as she walks off away from our work area.

Meanwhile, I see Ethan peek from his work, his eyes shifting towards me.

"Dude, this buddy-buddy thing you have going on with the Ice Queen still worries us a bit, man." He whispers.

His words got me thinking.

While my propinquity with Ellie has increased in a way I never really thought within the last week, it still has me and my friends quite confused over the sudden personality shift towards me.

Sure, I helped prevent a workplace incident, but she suddenly had less contempt over me specifically afterwards, while remaining somewhat unchanged in tone and attitude towards the others.

As confusing as it is, I think I'd rather have the friendly demeanor than the cold demon I once knew from high school.

And who knows? Maybe, just maybe…

We can become the friends I kinda wished I had more of in that time?

* * *

 **Managing and working two jobs can really take a lot of time and creativity away from yourself.**

 **I apologize for the long wait, thank you for being so patient.**


End file.
